2007 Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Richard Krause, all-Marine Corps team, slides in under the tag of Elmer Mason, all-Army, during the opening game of the Armed Forces tournament Sept. 12. The 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship tournament, featuring the best players from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, played the round-robin tournament Sept. 12 - 14 at Foster Stadium here. The all-Army team claim the gold medal while the Marine Corps sqeauked past the Air Force for the Silver. The all-Air Force team has won three championships in a row and four out of the last five. The all-Army team won it in 2003. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Armed Forces softball champions

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The all-Army team signs softballs for each other in regognition of thier gold medal victory at the 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship tournament, featuring the best players from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. The tournament was a round-robin with a total of nine games Sept. 12 - 14 at Foster Stadium here. The all-Army team claimed the gold medal while the Marine Corps sqeauked past the Air Force for the Silver. The all-Air Force team has won three championships in a row from 2004-2006 and four out of the last five. The all-Army team won it in 2003. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

2007 Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Victor Rivera-Collazo, all-Armey team coach, stops a base runner at thrid base during tournament playagainst the Marine Corps. The 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship tournament, featuring the best players from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, played the round-robin tournament Sept. 12 - 14 at Foster Stadium here. The all-Army team claimed the gold medal while the Marine Corps sqeauked past the Air Force for the Silver. The all-Air Force team has won three championships in a row from 2004-2006 and four out of the last five. The all-Army team won it in 2003. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

2007 Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Michael Dochwat, Ft. Campbell, Ky., gets an ice pack for his neck from Noelle Tiner, team trainer, after diving for a ball during a game against the all-Marine Corps team. The 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship tournament, featuring the best players from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, played the round-robin tournament Sept. 12 - 14 at Foster Stadium here. The all-Army team claim the gold medal while the Marine Corps sqeauked past the Air Force for the Silver. The all-Air Force team has won three championships in a row and four out of the last five. The all-Army team won it in 2003. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

2007 Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Stephen Shortland (goatee), all-Air Force team coach, talks batting strategy to motivate his team to hit the ball in the upcoming at bat during a game against the all-Navy at the 2007 U.S. Armed Forces Men's Softball Championship tournament. The tournament features the best players from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, played the round-robin tournament Sept. 12 - 14 at Foster Stadium here. The all-Army team claim the gold medal while the Marine Corps sqeauked past the Air Force for the Silver. The all-Air Force team has won three championships in a row and four out of the last five. The all-Army team won it in 2003. (U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. MIke Meares)

POW/MIA ceremony

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The National Prisoner of War Missing in Action Recognition Day ceremony at Eglin is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. at the Air Force Armament Museum. Brig. Gen. David Eidsuane, Air Armament Center commander, is the guest speaker. The ceremony is open to the public. (Courtesy graphic)

A kiss for a star

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Brig. Gen. Joseph A. Lanni, Air Armament Center vice commander, get a hug and a kiss form Michaela, his 4-year-old daughter, during his promotion ceremony at the Officers' Club Aug. 27. More than 300 friends and family members from as far away as Washington D.C. and California joined the Lanni family to celebrate the achievement. (U.S. Air Force photo by Craig McDonnell)

Water Survival Training

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Steve Horton offers Garrett McNeil a hand to climb aboard a life raft July 20 during Survivor Skills Day on Eglin Air Force Base. The event was hosted by the 33d Fighter Wing and the 53d Wing to teach their honorary commanders land and water survival tactics wing pilots are trained to use in emergency situations. Honorary commanders are civic leaders paired with wing leadership for a year-long immersion in the mission, with a goal of educating the civilians about the Air Force and its people. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Franks)

Water Survival Training

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Marion Riley Taylor, Honorary Commander for the 33d Fighter Wing's 33d Maintenance Squadron, follows a parachute seam to daylight in a simulated parachute canopy escape July 20. The simulation was part of Survivor Skills Day, during which honorary commanders learned land and water survival tactics wing pilots are trained to use in emergency situations. Honorary commanders are civic leaders paired with wing leadership for a year-long immersion in the mission, with a goal of educating the civilians about the Air Force and its people. Honorary commanders from the 53d Wing also participated. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Franks)

Water Survival Training

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Robert Babcock and Richard McNeese, Honorary Commanders for the 33d Fighter Wing's 33d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and 33d Operations Support Squadron ignite flares under the watchful eye of Staff Sgt. Benjamin Rosciglione, 33d Operation Support Squadron Survival, Evasions, Resist and Escape instructor. The event taught honorary commanders land and water survival tactics wing pilots are trained to use in emergency situations. Honorary commanders are civic leaders paired with wing leadership for a year-long immersion in the mission, with a goal of educating the civilians about the Air Force and its people. Honorary commanders from the 53d Wing also participated. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Franks)

Airmen receive Purple Hearts

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Airman 1st Class Andrew Vu, 96th Security Forces Squadron, receives a Purple Heart from Lt. Col. Timothy Meserve, squadron commander, for his injuries when the vehicle he was providing turret support for in Iraq was hit by an explosive device Jan. 20. The Airmen were part of a team due to fill a more traditional billet at a forward-operating base in Mosul, Iraq, but were redirected to Contingency Operating Base Speicher instead, taking on the in-lieu-of mission -- ordinarily tasked to the Army -- of training Iraqi police. The 15-member security forces team was awarded a U.S. Army Commendation Medal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)

Airmen receive Purple Hearts

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Airman 1st Class Janette Gonzalez, 96th Security Forces Squadron, receives a Purple Heart from Lt. Col. Timothy Meserve, squadron commander, for her injuries when the vehicle she was driving in Iraq was hit by an explosive device Jan. 20. The Airmen were part of a team due to fill a more traditional billet at a forward-operating base in Mosul, Iraq, but were redirected to Contingency Operating Base Speicher instead, taking on the in-lieu-of mission -- ordinarily tasked to the Army -- of training Iraqi police. The 15-member security forces team was awarded a U.S. Army Commendation Medal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)