Staff Sgt. Josh Serafin is prepared to perform pre-flight maintenance checks

Staff Sgt. Josh Serafin, 5th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, B-52 Stratofortress crew chief, is prepared to perform pre-flight maintenance checks on his assigned B-52 aircraft at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Jan. 26, 2017. Serafin, a Northern Michigan native, has worked on the B-52 along with others in as low as -30 degree temperatures. “Often times the job is very difficult and you have to look at the broader importance. I specifically remember being caught in temperatures so cold, and winds so strong, that I literally thought I was going to freeze to death – it had to of been around negative 40. The wind was cutting through every layer of my clothing, but I knew we needed to launch the jet... times like those you never forget, because you remember everything you did to make the mission a success.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)