Seen through a curtain of spray, a pilot stands with arms raised and laughing as the fire hose engulfs him. The water between camera and subject has bleached the photograph of most of its color and detail, but it records the moment more vividly for it. Behind the haze lie the flank and landing gear of the camouflaged aircraft he had been flying. Squadron wetting-down ceremonies marked a completed combat tour, and photographs of them survive largely because aircrew carried their own cameras. Project: 219827