Thirsty Buff

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM -- A KC-10A Extender with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing lowers its flying boom to provide fuel to an approaching B-52H Stratofortress over Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Redmond Raux)

Getting gas

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- A B-52 Stratofortress receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over the Indian Ocean. The KC-135 crew is from the 931st Air Refueling Group at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., and is deployed to the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby)

Bomber bunch

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM -- An Air Force B-52 bomber from the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing takes off from Diego Garcia for a combat mission Oct. 22, 2001, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Air Force B-2, B-1 and B-52 bombers have expended more than 80 percent of the tonnage dropped on combat missions over Afghanistan. The Air Force has flown more than 600 sorties including strike missions against al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. These targets include early-warning radars, ground forces, command-and-control facilities, al Qaeda infrastructure, airfields and aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Cuomo)

Load crew

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM -- Air Force munitions specialists from the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing download Joint Direct Attack Munitions from a B-52H Stratofortress at an operating location in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on Nov. 28. Coalition forces used about 110 strike aircraft against Taliban and al Qaeda forces Dec. 2. About 90 of those were tactical jet aircraft from sea-based platforms, about 12 to 14 were land-based tactical jets, and between eight and 10 were long-range bombers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Cuomo)