USAF and US Navy fighters provided close air support on Jan. 2 for coalition troops fighting enemy forces near Balad, Bayji, and Tikrit. A Navy F-14 fired a precision-guided munition, striking enemy forces planting an improvised explosive device near Bayji.
Brig. Gen. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, the last surviving triple ace from World War II, was honored one last time by the nation's top Airmen when he was buried here with full military honors March 30.