Out to the wild dark yonder

A C-40 aircraft belonging to the 932nd Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command, takes off into dark clouds on a flight Oct. 12, 2017, at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The 932nd Maintenance Group and 932nd Operations Group always team up to make the missions a success. Some days they start early before the sun comes up and some days they stay after dark. Some days they launch into rainstorms and clouds. The reserve 73rd Airlift Squadron and active duty 54th Airlift Squadron are paired with the 932nd AW in a reverse associate relationship, providing pilots and flight attendants for DV missions aboard the 932nd AW's four C-40C aircraft. A special note regarding the 73rd Airlift Squadron history: The 73rd Airlift Squadron, the single Reserve flying squadron under the 932nd, traces its lineage back to World War II, having flown troop carrier missions in the European Theater from Operation Overlord through V-E Day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Stan Paregien)