REAL HEROES AS REAL PEOPLE

Boeing-sponsored book captures typical day for U.S. military

BY DARYL STEPHENSON


A pair of "yellow shirts" signals the launch of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington off the coast of Italy. An AH-64A Apache helicopter gets a last-minute check from U.S. Army pilots at Ft. Rucker, Ala. A U.S. Air Force F/A-22 seems to be hurtling directly into a camera lens as it soars over California's Sierra Nevada.

These are among the more than 300 photographs featured in a new, 250-page hardcover book titled A Day In The Life Of The United States Armed Forces, published by HarperCollins. Boeing is the sole sponsor of the book, which takes a visual look at daily life for the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. These services are some of Boeing's biggest customers.

On Oct. 22, 2002, more than 125 of the world's most respected and accomplished photographers set out on a unique global mission—to look beyond the news headlines, dig beneath the breaking news stories, and capture what life was like on an ordinary day around the world for the men and women of the U.S. military.

For 24 hours, the team of civilian and military photographers, which included 12 Pulitzer Prize winners as well as recipients of Pictures of the Year and the World Press Photo awards, worked in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense to chronicle daily life for these men and women.

Their photographs document the lives of elite units and raw recruits; of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in Washington, D.C., and soldiers in remote outposts; of cadets, privates, generals, firefighters and military police.

Photos show life in the cockpit of a jet fighter, on a Trident submarine, in an underground missile silo, and on patrol along borders, in jungles, on mountains and in harbors. There also are scenes of family life on bases.

"A Day In The Life of the United States Armed Forces provides a powerful and poignant reminder of the sacrifices service men and women make on a daily basis," said Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President and CEO Jim Albaugh. "It shows the human face of the warfighter, captured in a variety of moments and poses by some of the world's best photographers. Some of the pictures are profoundly moving. Others are touching, funny or surprising."

A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces was released in mid-May to bookstores across the United States. It's available to Boeing employees for purchase at several Boeing Store locations, including St. Louis, Seal Beach, Calif., and Mesa, Ariz. Employees also may purchase it online at www.boeingstore.com

Approximately 100 photos from the book also are on display through July 8 at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

daryl.l.stephenson@boeing.com

Photos from A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces, include (clockwise, from top left) • On the flight line at Ft. Rucker, Ala., an AH-64A Apache attack helicopter gets a last-minute preflight check. • A trio of F-15s from the Air National Guard's 159th Fighter Wing, based in New Orleans, roar over the Florida Keys. • A U.S. Air Force F/A-22 Raptor soars over California's Sierra Nevada. • A pair of "yellow shirts," one of them in training, signal the launch of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, anchored off the coast of Italy.