I will not be posting for a few days (hold down the applause and cheers, please) as I will be hopefully enjoying some of the sights viewed by the P-3C Orion pilot above, albeit at lower altitudes and not in uniform.
Before “going dark,” I was planning a lighthearted (i.e. satirical) post on my Texan friends’ morbid fear that the federal government is planning to occupy their state, impose martial law and perform all kinds of other unspeakable acts under cover of the Jade Helm 15 military exercise.
However, in light of the killing of our four Marines in Chattanooga, I will pass for now.
Instead here are images of two of my favorite (military) subjects.
Family, friends, loved ones, and fellow soldiers are reunited with those assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Squadron (Airborne), 40th Cavalry Regiment, during a redeployment ceremony on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 10. The contingent of paratroopers returned home from a 10-month deployment in support of peacekeeping operations in Kosovo. Alejandro Pena/Air Force
Capt. Trevor Sutherland, a pilot in the 165th Airlift Squadron, embraces his family during a homecoming ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday. Sutherland and 29 other Kentucky Air Guardsmen returned from a deployment to the Persian Gulf region, where they’ve been supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel since February. Master Sgt. Phil Speck/Air National Guard
U.S. Air Force Capt. Ross Farling hugs his daughters during a homecoming ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., July 4, 2015. Farling was among 39 guardsmen who returned from a deployment to the Persian Gulf region, where they supported Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. Farling is a C-130 Hercules pilot assigned to the 123rd Airlift Wing.
A Sailor stationed aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) embrace a family member after arriving at Naval Station Rota, Spain. Porter is the third of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, to serve as part of the president’s European phased adaptive approach to ballistic missile defense in Europe. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian Dietrick
A U.S. soldier trains his working dog on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, July 4, 2015. The soldier is assigned to the 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade.
Army Master Sgt. Lyle Babcock, a management analyst for the Kansas National Guard, lives and works through his post-traumatic stress disorder with the help of Gunther, his service dog. Kansas National Guard photo by Army Sgt. Zach Sheely
Melissa Gonzales, an Air Force Wounded Warrior athlete, shares a moment with her service dog, Bindi, after swimming laps during the fourth day of an introductory adaptive sports and rehabilitation camp at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., April 16, 2015. The Department of Defense’s military adaptive sports program enhances warrior recovery by engaging wounded, ill and injured service members in ongoing, daily adaptive activities, based on their interest and ability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
And one more, because it is such a beautiful shot:
A Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet launches at sunset from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California, July 10, 2015. The aircraft is assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 137.
Lead photo: Navy Lt. Christopher Malherek pilots a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft over Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, July 14, 2015, during a routine training flight for the squadron’s advanced readiness program. Malherek is assigned to Patrol Squadron 9.(Photo: DoD)
All photos and captions: DOD
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The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.