BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- Tech. Sgt. Randy Thibeau, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron power production technician, holds a stake hammer as it pounds four-foot stake into the ground here, March 12. The stake prevents the arresting barrier system from shifting during an emergency landing. The barrier system gives the Air Force the ability to launch aircraft and recover them anywhere in the world. If a fighter aircraft experiences malfunctioning landing gear, the pilot can a drop a hook to catch a cable attached to the barrier system, which slows the aircraft and enables a smoother landing. Sergeant Thibeau is deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Julianne Showalter)