The Don Englebreston Collection

Pilot Hosed Down at Dusk Beside Twin-Engine Aircraft Tail, Vietnam War (Bob Karre Collection)

Pilot Hosed Down at Dusk Beside Twin-Engine Aircraft Tail, Vietnam War (Bob Karre Collection)

Bathed in the fading light of dusk, a pilot is doused with water beside the tail of a twin-engine Air Commando aircraft in this evocative photograph from the Bob Karre collection. The hosing-down tradition, common across Vietnam-era squadrons, marked milestones such as a pilot's final combat mission with a lighthearted send-off from his fellow airmen. Project: 218905