KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Brig. Gen. Melissa A. Coburn, 22nd Air Force Commander, passes the 403rd Wing guidon to incoming commander for the wing, Col. John F. Benson, during a change of command ceremony at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Nov. 2, 2023. The ceremony is a military tradition dating back to the time of Frederick the Great of Prussia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Shelton Sherrill) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron departs Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Oct. 21, 2022. The squadron is tasked with flying 12-hourly fix missions into Tropical Storm Roslyn until the system makes landfall. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron departs Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Oct. 21, 2022. The squadron supports weather reconnaissance year-round in tropical cyclones, winter storms, and atmospheric rivers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman, 403rd Wing public affairs specialist, reenlisted into the Air Force Reserve. The public affairs career field is one of the areas available for a bonus during Fiscal Year 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Jessica Kendziorek) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Senior Master Sgt. Jay Latham, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron loadmaster, calibrates a dropsonde during a mission Sept. 28, 2022 into Hurricane Ian as it made landfall in Florida. The Hurricane Hunters gather weather data using the dropsonde by 'dropping' it from the WC-130J Super Hercules and it collects dew point, pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction and send that information back to the aircraft, which is then sent to the National Hurricane Center to be used for improvement in updating the forecast models of storm tracks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Maj. Forrest Heintz, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, left, and Maj. Kendall Dunn, pilot and aircraft commander, fly into Hurricane Ian Sept. 28, 2022.The 53rd WRS, also known as the U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, have flown 14 missions into Ian since Sept. 21, 2022, to gather vital weather data for use in National Hurricane Center forecasts. The unit is assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the unit is the only one of its kind in the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Maj. Forrest Heintz, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron pilot, left, and Maj. Kendall Dunn, pilot and aircraft commander, fly into Hurricane Ian Sept. 28, 2022.The 53rd WRS, also known as the U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, have flown 14 missions into Ian since Sept. 21, 2022, to gather vital weather data for use in National Hurricane Center forecasts. The unit is assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and the unit is the only one of its kind in the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter WC-130J Super Hercules crew prepares for take off Sept. 28, 2022, for a mission into Hurricane Ian. The unit flew weather reconnaissance missions around the clock from Sept. 21 to 29, 2022 into Hurricane Ian to gather vital weather data for National Hurricane Center forecasts. The Hurricane Hunters, or 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, are a unit in the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. (U.S. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Marnee A.C. Losurdo) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Lt. Col. Dave Gentile, WC-130J aircraft commander, and Maj. Alex Boykin, pilot, fly a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance aircraft into Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. The 53rd WRS, or Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, fly missions into hurricanes to collect data for forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

Capt. Davis White, 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron aerial reconnaissance weather officer, monitors a radar screen during a flight into Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. The 53rd WRS, or Hurricane Hunters, fly missions into hurricanes to collect data for forecasters at the National Hurricane Center. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

A WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flies in the eye of Hurricane Ian Sept. 27, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Trinh Rodriguez (right), and Herman Orr, Air Force Reserve Command MHS GENESIS support team members, provide guidance to Tech. Sgt. Danica Sims, 403rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron, on the new health records system at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Sept. 20, 2022. MHS GENESIS is an electronic health record system that provides both doctors and patients secure, digital access to medical records, and is set to go live at Keesler Sept. 24. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kristen Pittman) Share