Thunderbolt dedication

SALINA, Kan. - Seen through the view finder of a reporter's camera, Major David Kurle, 442nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs officer, leads the applause at the Wing's "Thunderbolt of Salina" dedication ceremony here, Jan. 23. One of the wing's A-10 Thunderbolt II's became 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. Previous aircraft named for Salina included two bombers, a B-17 in 1944, a B-47 in 1954 and a KC-135 tanker in 1961. 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)