Lt. Col. Brick Izzi, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron

Lt. Col. Brick Izzi, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, climbs into an F-16 Fighting Falcon before a combat sortie at Balad Air Base, Iraq, on April 24. Pilots are given mission briefs on topics including weather, intelligence information and what the ground situation is where the pilots will be operating. Air Force pilots have been flying operations over Iraq since 1991, the beginning of the first Gulf War. While the tactics and technology have evolved, the goal of helping to keep ground warriors safe while integrating with their missions has remained. Colonel Izzi is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.