Blast From The Past – Summer 1980 – Today’s photograph is of me standing in the Coliseum in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum’s original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheatre. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, following the reign of Nero. This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum.

Blast From The Past – Winter 1994 – People go about their daily life as they visit Moscow’s Red Square. It was taken during “Provide Hope” a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force to provide medical equipment to former Soviet republics during their transition to capitalism.

Just about everywhere I visited on photo assignments for the Air Force we were able to get out and tour around on our own most of time and Moscow was really no exception. I found the people on the street to be friendly and open to Americans for the most part. I know we were watched to some degree while we were in some countries, especially since our job was to take pictures! I can’t say for sure, but the guy looking back in my direction in the center of the frame seemed to be around a lot during our time out walking around, but maybe I was being paranoid!

During Operation Provide Hope, Sixty-five C-5 and C-141 missions flew 2,363 short tons (2,144 t) of food and medical supplies to 24 locations in the Commonwealth of Independent States during the initial launch. Much of these supplies was left over from the buildup to the Persian Gulf War.

For nearly two weeks, US Air Force C-5A’s and C-141’s delivered several hundred tons of emergency food, medicines, and medical supplies to all twelve new independent states of the former Soviet Union, not only to each capital city but also to several outlying cities, especially across Russia. Small teams of US personnel from various government agencies (On-Site Inspection Agency, USAID, and USDA) had been placed in each destination shortly before the deliveries, to coordinate with local officials and to monitor to the best extent possible that the deliveries reached the intended recipients (i.e., orphanages, hospitals, soup kitchens, and needy families).

For 6-months of this operation I was the photo editor for a Combat Camera team that worked out of Aviano, Italy covering the operations.

Blast From The Past – Fall 1987 – An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft is refueled on the flight line during a training exercise on a Danish Air Base in Denmark during one of the annual Autumn Forge Joint Nation Military Exercises. This was one of the annual exercises that brought me back to Europe many times over my carrier where I was part of a military documentation team in Combat Camera. Our jobs were to document the military operations and provide imagery to the Joint Combat Camera Center located at the Pentagon. These images and video/motion picture footage were used to brief at the Pentagon, the White House and document the history of the military overall. Selected imagery was also release by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense to the general news media. – USAF Photo by SSgt. James R. Pearson

Blast From The Past – Summer 1990 – Jeepneys are a common mode of travel in the Philippines. Here we see a couple heading down the streets of Manila, taken during the time I was stationed at Clark Air Base from 1989-1991. It was an interesting assignment where I lived off the base in a compound where we had armed guards, due to the threat from the Abu Sayyaf militants group, among other such groups during the time I was stationed there. During my tour there I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted due to these threats to American Military. Otherwise, it was a great tour and I made many great new friends.

Also, the days leading up to my return to the states and a new assignment the Mount Pinatubo volcano was spewing gas and debris. After I was at my next duty station at Norton AFB, California it erupted on June 15th, 1991 covering most of the regions around and Clark with ash! The base was closed by the United States in the early 1990s due to the refusal by the Philippine government to renew the lease on the base.

Blast From The Past – Summer 1994 – A teenager waits patiently for his train to depart the Budapest-Nyugati train station in Budapest, Hungary.

According to Wikipedia: The Nyugati pályaudvar (English: Western railway station), generally referred to simply as Nyugati, is one of the three main railway terminals in Budapest, Hungary. The station is on the Pest side of Budapest, accessible by the 4 and 6 tramline and the M3 metro line.

The station was planned by August de Serres and was built by the Eiffel Company. It was opened on 28 October 1877. Previously another station stood in its place, the end station of Hungary’s first railway line, the Pest–Vác line (constructed in 1846). This building was pulled down in order to construct the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) which is now smaller than the outer ringroad (Hungária körút – Hungary Boulevard) and the recently opened motorway ringroad M0 (2008).

Blast From The Past – Fall-Winter 1992 – In this photograph I’m standing in the doorway of a Russian Antonov AN-124 aircraft (then considered the largest cargo aircraft in Russia’s fleet), covering a humanitarian relief operation called Provide Hope. I was the photo editor for part of this operation covering operations between Italy and Russia. While much of the time I was reviewing and editing the photography shot my colleagues I was able to get out and cover some of the operations myself.

On this mission we flew on the 124 into Moscow where I spent a couple days covering food distribution to orphanages, hospitals and other locations in outlying areas.

According to Wikipedia: “Provide Hope” was a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force to provide medical equipment and food to former Soviet republics during their transition to capitalism.

Sixty-five C-5 and C-141 missions flew 2,363 short tons (2,144 t) of food and medical supplies to 24 locations in the Commonwealth of Independent States during the initial launch. Much of these supplies was left over from the buildup to the Persian Gulf War.

For nearly two weeks, US Air Force C-5A’s and C-141’s delivered several hundred tons of emergency food, medicines, and medical supplies to all twelve new independent states of the former Soviet Union, not only to each capital city but also to several outlying cities, especially across Russia.

Small teams of US personnel from various government agencies (On-Site Inspection Agency, USAID, and USDA) had been placed in each destination shortly before the deliveries, to coordinate with local officials and to monitor to the best extent possible that the deliveries reached the intended recipients (i.e., orphanages, hospitals, soup kitchens, and needy families).

Blast From The Past – Winter 1978 – I have posted this in the past, but since I’m working on images for a book on my life as a photojournalist I’m adding it again.

This is what we referred to as a “High Mom” shot among those of us in Combat Camera. It’s where we did some of the first “Selfies” by putting a very wide-angle lens on the camera and then turning it towards ourselves after setting what we thought would be the correct focus. Well, I was off here a little, but it’s still a shot that I like because this was my first fast burner ride in the backseat of a jet!

This was over the fjords of Norway where I was shooting air to air photos of the first F-16 fighter jets that were at Boda, Norway for their first artic cold weather testing. Here’s I’m flying a Norwegian Fighter jet’s backseat. I’m not totally sure but I think it was a F-106 or F-104. It’s the only shot that I’ve come across in my vast collection of slides.

As this was my first fighter jet ride I will admit, yes, I got sick!! LOL However, once I did so I was fine and went ahead and got the pictures! Also, I loved it, despite the rough start!! I guess this was the closest I ever came to being a “Fighter Pilot!” not that I ever wanted to be one. I already had what I’ve always considered the best job in the world!! I have flown is and photographed a lot of different aircraft in my lifetime, but this will always be one of my most memorable!

Blast From The Past – December 1982 – Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard in London, England. Of all the places I traveled to during my career, I’d have to say that London ranks at the top of my favorite locations. It’s such great city, with friendly people and many things to see and photograph. Of course my favoite way of getting around was the “Underground.” I’m sad that I didn’t hold onto any of my photos from the subway there, but alas I’ve not found any in my files. – USAF Photo by SSgt. James R. Pearson

Blast From The Past – July 15, 1978 – President Jimmy Carter uses binoculars to look across the Berlin Wall during his visit to West Berlin, Germany. I can still recall the excitement of the day as I stood there next to the wall separating the East from the West.

Blast From The Past – November 14, 1981 – Ground crews inspect and check the exterior of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2) after it touched down on runway 23 at Edwards Air Force Base, California.