On July Fourth in 2014, Capt. Jim Miller was deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, sheltered from the terrible heat in his air-conditioned room. He wore American flag pants and a T-shirt, watching the movie “Independence Day” with his roommate, Staff Sgt. Shane Shipman. Miller is a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot, and Shipman operates the boom used for in-flight aircraft refueling. They were on alert, ready to take off within minutes.

In the movie, Will Smith punched an alien invader in the face and exclaimed, “Welcome to Earth!”