Balad airlifters complete 25,000th combat sortie
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- A C-130 Hercules aircrew prepares the aircraft for an airlift mission here Sept. 2. The crew, assigned to the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here, completed the squadron's 25,000th combat sortie, which carried approximately 25 passengers and 64,000 pounds of equipment between Baghdad International Airport and Al-Asad Air Base. The aircrew is deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The aircraft is deployed from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech Sgt. Erik Gudmundson)