Capt. Austin “Ragin’” Cox, an F-16 pilot with the Minnesota

Capt. Austin “Ragin’” Cox, an F-16 pilot with the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron currently assigned to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, runs through his pre-flight checks before his sortie on Aug. 12, 2012. Personnel are deployed from the Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Bull Dog F-16’s, pilots, and support personnel began their Air Expeditionary Force deployment in mid-August to take over flying missions for the air tasking order and provide close air support for troops on the ground in Afghanistan.