A B-52 Stratofortress takes off from the runway at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Oct. 1, 2014 to return home to Minot AFB, N.D. For six months, 300 Airmen and approximately eight B-52s continued flight operations out of Ellsworth while their runway underwent the final phase of a two year long reconstruction project. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Hada/Released)