JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Nearly fifty aircrew and aircraft maintainers of the 514th Air Mobility Wing, here, returned May 4 from their respective, cyclic two and four-month deployments to Southwest Asia supporting current U.S. operations against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists.
Assigned to the U.S. Central Command, the Reserve Airmen worked with partner nations to conduct targeted airstrikes of Iraq and Syria as part of the comprehensive strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL.
Freedom Wing Airmen have deployed to Southwest Asia for the past 18 years, beginning with Operation Southern Watch in 1998 and have continued to-date to support the current missions in the region.
With that kind of history, for most, this deployment was one of many they have already completed and they agree returning home never gets old. Upon landing, the group stepped off their transport, the KC-10 Extender, into the waiting arms of family, friends and co-workers.