Members of Hearts Apart, a group for spouses of deployed military members from Edwards, gather at the Cascades Grill in Palmdale for a luncheon sponsored by the Joint Military Affairs Committee on Feb. 14, 2006. Several speakers, including Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford and councilmember Steve Knight, honored the spouses during the luncheon. A highlight of the afternoon was a phone call from Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), thanking the deployed military members and their spouses for their sacrifices. (Photo by Christopher Ball)