The Snapshots in Time Collection

Airman in Leather Flight Jacket with Squadron Patch, McAleer Collection

Airman in Leather Flight Jacket with Squadron Patch, McAleer Collection

A young airman poses in a leather A-2 flight jacket bearing a squadron patch, photographed on the ramp of a military airfield. Personal snapshots like this one, from the Pat McAleer collection, preserve the everyday likeness of the servicemen behind the official record -- a face, a patch, and a moment captured between missions. Project: 218187