Dedicating a Thunderbolt to Salina, Kan.
SALINA, Kan. -- Col. James Mackey, 442nd Operations Group commander, addresses the crowd at the 442nd Fighter Wing's "Thunderbolt of Salina" A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft dedication here, Jan. 23, as Donna Vanier, Salina, Kan., resident, and Salina Mayor Alan Jilka, enjoy his remarks. The dedication ceremony was the third christening of an aircraft for Salina by Vanier and the fourth aircraft to carry the name of Salina, a central Kansas community that was once the home of the former Schilling Air Force Base, now the city's airport. Salina continues to have a military presence with the nearby Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range and, in October, will host Hawgsmoke 2008, the Air Force's biennial A-10 Thunderbolt II bomb and gunnery competition. The 442nd Fighter Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Whiteman AFB, Mo. (US Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bill Huntington)