Sharing knowledge and growing bonds at Dragon Academy

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Nathan Welchert, 35th Fighter Wing Flight Safety NCO in charge and Dragon Academy volunteer, helps a Sollars Elementary School sixth grader with math problems at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 14, 2013. The purpose of the Dragon Academy is to build a relationship between students and service members while helping the school reach a high student achievement level. If you want to volunteer for the Dragon Academy Program, contact Sollars Elementary School at 226-3933. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Kee)

Sharing knowledge and growing bonds at Dragon Academy

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Caitlin Suttie, 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs chief and Dragon Academy volunteer, assists a Sollars Elementary School fourth grader on her class project at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 13, 2013. The Dragon Academy currently has 26 volunteers and the school is still looking for more volunteers interested in helping with the program. For more information on how to volunteer for the Dragon Academy, call Sollars Elementary School at 226-3933. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Kee)

Getting down and dirty with MXS

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Laurent (front), 35th Fighter Wing command chief, and Col. Matthew Dana, 35th Fighter Wing vice commander, work together to remove more than 40 fairings from the major assembly low pressure turbine during the Dirty Jobs Program on Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 13, 2013. The Dirty Jobs Program was designed to give Airmen of multiple squadrons the opportunity share their dedication to their job and technical experiences with wing leadership. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. April Quintanilla)

Getting down and dirty with MXS

U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Dana, 35th Fighter Wing vice commander, tries to slap the aft center body off of the major assembly low pressure turbine as part of the 35th Maintenance Squadron during the Dirty Jobs Program on Misawa Air Base, Japan, Feb. 13, 2013. The program gives 35 MXS the chance to get the wing leadership up to their elbows in grease. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. April Quintanilla)

Sannai-Maruyam: recovering old history

Three friends stand around an informational video box at the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori, Japan, Feb. 2, 2013. Excavation of the site began in 1992, but before the site was preserved as a historical landmark, the land was scheduled to be a prefectural baseball stadium. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)

Sannai-Maruyam: recovering old history

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher Maire, 610th Air Control Flight unit deployment manager, climbs out of a reconstructed pit-dwelling at the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori, Japan, Feb. 2, 2013. Pit-dwellings, semi-subterranean structures with circular of oval floor plans, were the most common type of residential buildings during the Jomon period. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenna Jackson)