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Ben Bloker ©Stars and StripesBagram, Afghanistan, May, 2008: A crew chief assigned to the 81st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron preps an A-10 for a combat mission. The 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, out of Spangdahlem, Germany, was nearing the end of its four-month deployment providing close-air support — something for which the "Warthog" aircraft has long been appreciated by troops on the ground.