The changing of the Guard
Members of the Iowa and the Wisconsin Air National Guard, assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Balad Air Base, Iraq, tow an F-16 Fighting Falcon to a hardened aircraft shelter June 13. Aircraft and personnel from Iowa and Wisconsin Air National Guard units will return to the U.S., after being in Iraq for four months. F-16s and Airmen from South Dakota and New York ANG units have arrived at Balad to take their places. Rotating fighters helps reduce the amount of time the aircraft are exposed to the hot and dusty weather of Iraq, which can wreak havoc on the planes' components. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)