Back to school
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Hattie Phipps, Joan K. Mendel Elementary School principal, welcomes students back from summer vacation for the first official day of school Aug. 31. Before class began, the students gathered in the school library to participate in Radio Taiso, a form of stretching, known throughout the Japanese school system. The stretching is a daily routine to promote fitness and focus. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Veronica Pierce)