Twenty families with the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base, New York, attended the Strong Bonds Family Retreat on July 6-8, 2018, at Jiminy Peak Resort in Hancock, Massachusetts. The 109th AW Chaplain Corps holds the events a few times a year at different locations for families, couples and even singles in an effort to help strengthen relationships. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Catharine Schmidt)

Staff Sgt. Perry Rayner assists his sister, Staff Sgt. Meya Rayner, in the gym April 2018. They, along with Tech. Sgt. Kat Gregory, found a common bond through bodybuilding. The three keep each other motivated as well as others on base. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Catharine Schmidt)

Staff Sgts. Perry Rayner assits Tech. Sgt. Kat Gregory in the gym April 20, 2018. They along with Staff Sgt. Meya Rayner, all with the 109th Airlift Wing, found a common bond through bodybuilding. The three keep each other motivated as well as others on base. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Catharine Schmidt)

(From left) Senior Airmen Damon Mason, David Crandall, Michael Hack and Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Reimann load up computers for the Anderson Center for Autism on June 4, 2018. About 100 computers from the 109th Airlift Wing were donated to the center as part of the Department of Defense’s computers for learning program. The Airmen are all part of the 109th Communications Flight. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. William Gizara)

Senior Master Sgt. Rick Rueda, 109th Airlift Wing Occupational Safety Manager, discusses safety trends across the wing with about 400 Airmen during the 109th AW’s operational safety review day at the Saratoga Hilton in Saratoga, New York, on June 18, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. William Gizara)

Airmen and Soldiers particiapte in the Ruck March of the German Armed Forces Forces Proficiency Badge on April 14, 2018, at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York. Thirty-nine Airmen and Soldiers participated in the three-day event which consisted of four different qualification tests. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. William Gizara)

Staff Sgt. Isidora Monteparo, an aerospace medical technician assigned to the 109th Medical Group, has the rank of second lieutenant pinned on by her sister, Staff Sgt. Esmeralda Monteparo and Maj. (Dr.) Kevin Jones, during a ceremony here March 3 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Stephanie J. Lambert)

Staff Sgt. Latisha Webb, 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew chief, taxis an LC-130 “Skibird” into the fuel pit on the Williams Field skiway at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on Nov. 6, 2017. Both Webb and the LC-130 are deployed to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, New York. This is the 30th season the 109th AW is providing ODF support. ODF is the Department of Defense’s logistical support to the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Antarctic Program. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Catharine Schmidt)

Staff Sgt. John Cox, an air transportation specialist assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing, poses with his dog Maria, on Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, N.Y., Dec. 15, 2017. Cox adopted Maria while deployed to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Stephanie J. Lambert)

This LC-130 “Skibird” crew landed at the South Pole Station with minimum visibility and maximum crosswinds, and then were forced to make an emergency weather divert to Terra Nova Bay when extreme weather made it unsafe to land at McMurdo Station on Nov. 9, 2017. The crew (from left): 1st Lt. Brian Alexander, co-pilot; Airman 1st Class Ryan Rhoads, loadmaster; Lt. Col. Ronald Ankabrandt, navigator; Senior Master Sgt. Michael Messineo, flight engineer; Senior Master Sgt. David Vesper, loadmaster; and Capt. Brandon Caldwell, pilot. The 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew and LC-130 are deployed to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, the logistical support provided by the Department of Defense to the U.S. Antarctic Program. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Catharine Schmidt)