The Air Force has taken the lead in the friendly competition among the U.S. military branches about which service can produce the best reenlistment photo.
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California shared a jaw-dropping photo on Saturday, showing Air Force Master Sgt. Eric Burks reenlisting as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket takes off from the launchpad.
Burks currently serves as Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs superintendent, Vandenberg posted on Facebook. Air Force Maj. Kelsey Tarver, Space Launch Delta 30 Chief of Readiness, administered the reenlistment oath to Burks during Saturday’s launch. The two airmen are assigned to Vandenberg in support of the Space Force.
Even though the photo was taken by the Space Force, most of the support structure at Vandenberg is provided by the Air Force. Both airmen and Space Force guardians supported Saturday’s mission to launch 22 Starlink satellites into low earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg, according to Vandenberg and SpaceX.
The reenlistment photo, complete with an American flag in the background as the rocket heads toward the heavens, looks like a scene out of a Michael Bay film. In fact, the casual viewer could be forgiven for assuming that the purpose of the rocket launch was to transport a crew of rough-and-tumble oil drillers so they could destroy a meteor threatening Earth.
The picture is a worthy addition to the pantheon of cool reenlistment photos, including one showing soldiers with explosions in the background, another with soldiers taped to howitzers, and a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician who reenlisted underwater while wearing SCUBA gear.
The public affairs office at Vandenberg came up with the idea of taking Burks’ reenlistment photo during a rocket launch, said the base’s public affairs chief Jennifer Green-Lanchoney.
“It just so happened it worked out perfectly, and we have photo proof,” Green-Lanchoney told Task & Purpose on Monday.
She also said that it is important to recognize troops’ commitments to their service, and the public affairs office has access to fantastic photography equipment.
“We do have a mission to capture and report the launches,” Green-Lanchoney. “And so, we mixed work with something that is an honorable exercise and committing yourself to your service. Master Sgt. Burks agreed to do it and so did Maj. Tarver, so we made it happen.”