Wet welcome back to earth

The 932nd Airlift Wing welcomed Lt. Col. Robert Witzel (center in flight suit) back from his final United States Air Force Reserve Command flight on June 22, 2017, at 1500 hours, on the Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, flight line. A light rainstorm let up just about the time he and other crew members landed the C-40 aircraft. He waved to the crowd and walked down the stairs from the wing's beautiful C-40 for the last time, and thanked everyone for coming out to his historical "fini flight". Family members gave him the traditional "splash down" welcome with water squirting from fire extinguishers. He retires as a command pilot with more than 8,500 flying hours in several aircraft including the C-141, the C-9 and finally the C-40C plane belonging to the Illinois wing, which is aligned under 22nd Air Force, and the Air Force Reserve Command. (U.S. Air Force photo by Christopher Parr)