The Thunderbirds came to Nellis Air Force Base in 1956. The name thunderbird refers to a southwest American Indian tradition of a majestic eagle or hawk that shakes the earth with its thunderous wings and shoots lightning from its eyes. View photo »

Airmen look before leaping out of a plane over the Nevada landscape. Nellis Air Force Base is named in 1950 after 1st Lt. William Harrell Nellis, a southern Nevada man who died in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Originally, the base consisted of a dirt runway, water well and small operational shack. View photo »

The latest generation of fighter technology, the F/A-22 Raptor, sits on static display as the famous Thunderbird Air Squadron fly their Thunderbird Diamond over the runway during the "Aviation Nation" air show at Nellis Air Force Base, Nov. 16, 2003. View photo »

Four F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters maneuver high above Las Vegas. The jets were delivered to Nellis Air Force Base on June 1, 1956, the same day the world famous Thunderbird Air Demonstration Squadron was stationed at Nellis. The Thunderbirds quickly adopted the F-100 as part of their act. View photo »

Officers stand and salute at Nellis Air Force Base on Sept. 24, 1985. The 14,000-acre base currently holds nearly 12,000 military personnel and civilians and contains more squadrons than any other Air Force base in the world. View photo »

HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters line up for an exercise at Nellis Airforce Base, March 1985. The Pave Hawk is designed for combat search and rescue operations but has been used for civil search and rescue missions after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004. View photo »

Nellis Air Force Base Staff Sgt. Andrew LaFreniere does a pre-flight check and talks to the pilot of the $2.5 million F-4C Phantom II jet aircraft. Sgt. LaFreniere won Airman of the Year in 1967. View photo »

A simulated surface-to-air missile site shows the Star of David configuration most associated with the SA-2 missile. Nellis Air Force Base houses more than 150 aircrafts and a Warfare Center responsible for advanced combat training, tactics development and operational testing. View photo »

Chief Master Sgt. J. Dehorty mans his post during joint readiness exercise Brave Shield 17. Dehorty is a member of the Air National Guard and assigned to the 162nd Combat Communications Squadron. His sympathetic staff made his sign. View photo »

One of the Nellis-based F-111As is readied for taxiing by assistant crew chief Sgt. Marvin L. Niekamp on June 18, 1968. The aircraft was flown for the first time since being restricted from flying on May 8, 1968. View photo »

Airmen simulate rescuing a downed pilot as an A-10 Thunderbolt jet aircraft provides close air support for an HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter during a Capstone firepower demonstration at the Nevada Test and Training Range Friday, July 19, 2002. About 2,000 spectators, along with some top officials from the Air Force, were on hand to watch personnel in warplanes and helicopters demonstrate their bombing and rescue operation skills. View photo »

Exhaust from planes obscure the Stratosphere Tower as they leave to participate in the Red Flag air combat exercise Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002 at Nellis Air Force Base. Red Flag is a two-week aerial war simulation exercise with more than 100 aircrafts from six countries participating. Nellis hosts four Red Flag exercises throughout the year. View photo »