"It's An Ugly, Nasty Business When Airplanes Get Shot Down," says Lieutenant Colonel Doug Baker. He is the commander of the Operations Support Flight of the US. Air Force 104th Fighter Squadron, which has deployed five times since September 11,2001. At his post outside Baltimore, Maryland, the whine of an A-10C Thunderbolt spooling up saturates the morning air. Baker and his fellow A-10 "Sandy" pilots keep their skills sharp at this Air National Guard base, in view of the flapping flags at Chesapeake Bay marinas, for a hazardous mission: protecting the rescuers of U.S. aviators downed in enemy territory.
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