Sixty Airmen from the Delaware Air National Guard will return home today and tomorrow, April 28 and 29, after service in Afghanistan, completing a 120-day mission of flying and fixing unit C-130 aircraft

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NEW CASTLE, Delaware --  Delaware Air National Guard
Headquarters, 166th Airlift Wing
2600 Spruance Drive
New Castle, DE 19720-1615 

Contact: Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Matwey
Public Affairs Specialist, 166th Airlift Wing, Delaware Air National Guard
Office 302-323-3369, or cell 302-893-8690
E-mail: Benjamin.Matwey@denewc.ang.af.mil
Release No. 2008-4-005, April 28, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW CASTLE - About 60 Airmen from the Delaware Air National Guard will return home in two groups over the next two days from Afghanistan. The first group of about 30 Airmen arrives at New Castle Airport early this afternoon, April 28, 2008, and the second group of about 30 Airmen arrives home early tomorrow afternoon, April 29. They will travel aboard two unit C-130 transport aircraft. The Airmen have served combat rotations lasting four to six weeks or longer at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

News media are invited. Advise media arrival on base by 12:00 NOON but no later than 12:30 p.m. Families of Airmen will be gathering in the base dining hall. Address: 2600 Spruance Drive, New Castle, DE, 19720.

Most of the Airmen returning over these two days had departed Delaware in late March, with additional Airmen serving in Afghanistan since late February. The Airmen have been part of a larger group of about 70 Airmen continually serving in Bagram for about four months until now when the mission is now complete. Nearly 100 unit Airmen have seen overseas duty in these rotations to Afghanistan over the past four months.

166th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Jonathan Groff said, "Our Airmen have executed the Air Force mission of moving troops and cargo and conducting combat airdrops to support American and coalition combat operations throughout the Afghanistan combat zone. The Airmen will arrive home standing tall, having performed their duty well."

Unit aircraft, aircrew and maintenance personnel are next scheduled to go to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan in late 2009.

A total of about 175 Airmen from the 1,100 member Delaware Air National Guard have served overseas this winter and spring in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom at various air bases in Southwest Asia.

A security forces group of 28 Airmen arrived home in two groups on April 26 and April 28 after six months of duty in Southwest Asia.

Coming up, a civil engineer group of 40 Airmen who left Delaware in late December through mid-January for Southwest Asia are expected to return home in May. Most of the Airmen have been serving in Kuwait.

The Delaware Air National Guard is a reserve component of the U.S. Air Force with 1,100 positions under Command of the Governor of Delaware, or the President of the United States when mobilized. The Delaware ANG has been serving Delaware and the United States of America since 1946.

This release is in the public domain, and any part may be used as written.

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