A USAF sergeant stands ready with a charged fire hose while aircrew and ground crew gather to watch. The hosing down of a pilot returning from a milestone or final combat mission was one of the most durable traditions in wartime flying squadrons, and the base fire section was usually a willing accomplice. Beyond the crowd, the apron, hangars and mountain-backed coastal plain sketch the geography of a central Vietnamese air base, where flight crews lived and worked within sight of the country they flew over. Project: 219827