U.S. Vice President Joe Biden poses for a photo with troops at the Taiyo Community Center, Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 24, 2011.

About 1,000 service members from the Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard attended the vice president's speech in which he thanked them for their efforts during the humanitarian operation after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy Moless