Airmen gather on a rain-soaked apron at a Southeast Asian air base to mark a squadron milestone. Two of the men are drenched, the signature of a traditional flight-line wetting down that greeted a pilot returning from a final combat mission, while the airman at center has been dressed in a locally bought floral sarong as a gag. Behind them, corrugated blast revetments, yellow ground power units and the fins of parked aircraft define the working world of a wartime forward base. Ceremonies like this one were an essential release valve in units flying dangerous missions day after day. Project: 219827