160715-F-GD533-014 – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kirk Halsey, 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew chief, dawns extreme cold weather gear as he stands in front of a C-17 Globemaster III during Operation Deep Freeze (ODF), July 15, 2016, at Pegasus Ice Runway, Antarctica. ODF is one of the most difficult U.S. military peacetime missions due to the austere environment in which it is conducted. Therefore, extreme cold weather gear, including polar fleeces, balaclavas (ski masks), mukluks (soft boots designed for cold weather), cold weather gloves, ear bands, neck gaiters, hats, polar fleece pants, insulated cold weather bibs, extreme cold weather parkas, is issued to personnel in order for them to be prepared to support this vital mission. (U.S. Air Force Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Madelyn McCullough
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