Airmen 
volunteers from Sather AB, Iraq, joined Army counterparts in clearing one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces in preparation for its return to the Iraqi government. Saddam’s ironically named Victory Over America Palace was one of more than 70 that US forces captured during the 2003 invasion. Over the past eight years, the bombed-out palace has served at times as office, dormitory, and storage space for US forces. “We had a lot of military people here back in 2003,” noted SSgt. Teresa Pavljuk of the 447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron during the clean-up earlier this month. “There’s a lot of wood, glass, and metal. We’re taking it all out and trying to make any kind of presence we had here go away.” More than 35 airmen and soldiers took part. (Baghdad report by TSgt. Jason Lake)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.