Make no mistake about it. The U.S. Air Force’s close-air support mission is about saving lives. American lives. U.S. troops on the battlefield, under fire, in duress, desperate for help from above.

Here’s how one old soldier described the way it feels when you’re in a firefight for your life: “The only thing I cared about is the effect on the target. I don’t give a rat’s ass what platform brings it in.”

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