preparation

Tech. Sgt. Sheila White, 30th Mission Support Squadron, prepares care packages for deployed military members at the Airman Family Readiness Center on Feb. 21. Sergeant White, along with the Airman Family Readiness Center, takes care of troops that are deploying and family members of deployed troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Plew)

Care

Tech. Sgt. Sheila White, 30th Mission Support Squadron, prepares care packages for deployed military members at the Airman Family Readiness Center on Feb. 21. Sergeant White, along with the Airman Family Readiness Center, takes care of troops that are deploying and family members of deployed troops. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Plew)

technical support

Airman Ted Hinton, 30th Operations Support Squadron, is assisted by 1st Lt. Abbe Shafer, 76th Helicopter Squadron, as he does a routine maintenance check on a computer tower on February 20 at Vandenberg. Airman Hinton is a Client Support Administrator at his squadron and performs duties such as troubleshooting computer and network problems that can be hardware or software related. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nicole Roberts)

Working hard

Client support administrator, Airman Jonathon Fernandez, 392 Training Squadron, strips some wire in order to make CAT 5 cables on Feb. 21 at Vandenberg. CAT 5 cables are used to connect workstations to the 30th Communications Squadron's server so they can have access to the network. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nicole Roberts)

Training blaze

Senior Airman Keith Armour, a firefighter from the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron on Vandenberg, puts on his fire helmet during a training excercise on Feb. 13. Airman Armour just recently got back from a deployment in Iraq where he used this training in real-world situations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Jonathan Olds)

Tough gig

Senior Airman Keith Armour, a firefighter from the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron on Vandenberg, straps into the back seat of a fire engine during a training excercise on Feb. 13. Airman Armour just recently got back from a deployment in Iraq where he used this training in real-world situations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Jonathan Olds)

Powerful words

Capt. Rod Smith, 576th Flight Test Squadron, delivers an opening speech during a Black History month ceremony at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on February 1. The ceremony was to honor those of black heritage in our armed services and around the world for their important and respectable roles in today’s society. (Air Force Photo by Amn Adam Guy)

General's visit

Col. Teresa Djuric, 30th Space Wing vice commander, Col. Robert Gibson, 381st Training Group commander, and Linda Gates, an Air Education Training Command community leader, greet Gen. William R. Looney III, AETC commander, as he steps out of a KC-135. General Looney escorted a group of community leaders from around the country to the 381st Training Group to show how space and missile operators and maintainers are trained. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Carol McClelland)

Tracking

Salvador Sanchez, contractor for Western Range Operations Communications and Information (WROCI), checks the oil of the FPS-16 radar. The radar is used to track Vandenberg launches from atop Tranquillon Peak on Vandenberg AFB. The oil inside the radar is used for mobility purposes so it is able to move 360 degrees without getting stuck, thus able to track the upcoming Minuteman III missile launch on Feb. 7. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ashley Tyler)

Tracking

Salvador Sanchez, contractor for Western Range Operations Communications and Information (WROCI), rotates the FPS-16 radar used to track launching missiles at Tranquillon Peak on Vandenberg AFB February 1, 2007. The radar is used to provide data and track missiles during launches. This radar, along with its data system, will be tracking the upcoming Feb. 7 Minuteman III launch to direct the missile and ensure its direction is not altered. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ashley Tyler)

Welcome

Maj. Gen. William Shelton, 14th Air Force commander, greets Royal Australian Air Force Air Marshal Geoffrey Shepherd upon arrival at Vandenberg. Air Marshal Shepherd visited Vandenberg on Jan. 15. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Keyonna Fennell)

Farewell

Maj. Gen. William Shelton,14th Air Force commander and Col. Jack Weinstein, 30th Space Wing commander, bid farewell to Air Marshall Geoffrey Shepherd, Chief of Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. on Jan 15. Air Marshall Shepherd visited Vandenberg as well as several other Air Force bases to get an orientation of how the Air Force operates. (United States Air Force Photo by Airman Adam Guy)