190920-F-JA727-0011
Staff Sgt. Daniel Patten, 22nd Force Support Squadron honor guardsmen, leads a formation during a 21-gun salute at the 2019 prisoner(s) of war/missing in action Retreat Ceremony Sept. 20, 2019, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan. The three volleys, 21-gun salute, come from an old battlefield custom where after a ceasefire, the warring sides were notified that the injured and dead were properly cared for. It is now used as a ceremonial tradition during funerals. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alan Ricker)