BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Nov. 28, 2006 — Lt. Col. Russ Limke, 332nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron operations officer, and his son, Senior Airman Andrew Limke, 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, deployed together as Air National Guardsmen from Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, S.D.

The younger Limke is responsible for the take-off and recovery of F-16s, which means he occasionally has the privilege of getting his father off the ground or taxiing him in from a completed mission.

"I can't be more proud of my son for enlisting," said the colonel. "He turned out to be a damn fine F-16 crew chief. I'll take his jet into combat any day."

"We've only seen each other a few times," he said. "It's mostly at work for a few minutes. We did get to go to lunch one time."

In some ways, this deployment has made Balad an extension of South Dakota for the Limkes.

"We talk about whatever comes to mind," the colonel said. "The conversations aren't unlike home; the scenery is just a little different here."