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20-year career

Master Sgt. Kevin Mendoza retired after a 20-year Air Force career during a ceremony held Feb. 25 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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Happy friends and family

Friends and family capture memories on their phones of the 23 students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 26-06 who received their wings during a ceremony held Feb. 27 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sarah Smith)

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Shiny

Traditionally an important person in a new pilot's life helps pin on the first set of wings. Twenty-three students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 26-06 received their wings during a ceremony held Feb. 27 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sarah Smith)

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Greeting the new pilots

Col. Richard Kind, the 97th Air Mobility Wing commander at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, greets Class 26-06 members before their graduation ceremony Feb. 27 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Kind was the graduation guest speaker. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sarah Smith)

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Wings for new aviators

Twenty-three students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 26-06 received their wings during a ceremony held Feb. 27 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sarah Smith)

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Class 26-06

Twenty-three students in Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 26-06 received their wings during a ceremony held Feb. 27 at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Sarah Smith)

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Thanks 'Flag Dave'

Leaders and members of the 71st Flying Training Wing greeted Dave Burns, better known as "Flag Dave," after his flight in the T-38 Talon trainer jet Jan. 16, at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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'Flag Dave'

For more than two decades, pilots passing through Fort Smith Regional Airport in Arkansas have been greeted by Dave Burns, best know as "Flag Dave." (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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'Flag Dave' preps for flight

Dave Burns, best known as "Flag Dave" to the aviation community, prepares for a flight in the T-38 Talon at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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'Flag Dave'

Dave Burns, better known in the flying community as "Flag Dave," got a ride in the T-38 Talon training jet Jan. 16, at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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At home in the dark

The T-6A Texan II, a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer, is used to train undergraduate pilot training students at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ 2nd Lt. Connor Brezenski)

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Embracing the night

Students in Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, learn to fly the night sky during their time in the T-6A Texan II aircraft. Team Vance delivered almost 400 world-class pilots during fiscal year 2025 and is on track to do it again in 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo/ 2nd Lt. Connor Brezenski)

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Sunset on the flightline

A T-6A Texan II is parked on the flightline at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Oct. 29, 2025. The T-6A Texan II is a single-engine, two-seat primary trainer designed to train undergraduate pilot training students in basic flying skills. (U.S. Air Force photo/ 2nd Lt. Connor Brezenski)

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Seventy years later

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Ryland R. Dreibelbis and his wife, Peggy Dreibelbis, stand with their family outside the chapel at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, after renewing their wedding vows 70 years after their marriage in the same chapel. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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Renewing wedding vows 70 years later

Retired Air Force Col. Ryland R. Dreibelbis and his wife, Peggy Dreibelbis, exit the chapel after renewing their wedding vows in the same place they were married 70 years ago at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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Renewing their vows

Retired Air Force Col. Ryland R. Dreibelbis and his wife, Peggy Dreibelbis, renew their wedding vows at the altar of the chapel where they were married 70 years earlier at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The couple renewed their vows in the presence of their family Oct 1, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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Running for the hungry

Capt. Matthew Breen, right, runs alongside Lt. Col. Scott Meskimen, center, and Capt. Zoey Chittick, during a 30-mile fundraising run at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Nov. 6, 2025. Breen completed 120 laps around the base track to raise $3,000 for Loaves and Fishes, a local food bank. (U.S. Air Force photo/ 2nd Lt. Connor Brezenski)

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Fire in the night sky

Student pilots learn to master the skies, ever after sunset, during their Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base. The T-38C Talon, a supersonic trainer flown by the 25th Flying Training Squadron at Vance, prepares new pilots for futures in fighter and bomber aircraft. The T-38 is powered by two turbojet engines with afterburners. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Michaela Prince)

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Lining up for a fly-over

Training aircraft from Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, line up to perform a fly-over at the Red, White and Blue Air Force Birthday Fly-in held Sept. 13 at the Enid-Woodring Regional Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Tech. Sgt. Greg Cerny)

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Team Vance flyover at the Fly-in

Two T-6A Texan IIs, a T-38C Talon and a T-1A Jayhawk from Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, performed a fly-over during the Red, White and Blue Air Force Birthday Fly-in Sept. 13 at the Enid-Woodring Regional Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/ 2nd Lt. Julia Love)

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