10th Airlift Squadron return cause for celebration Published March 14, 2008 By Tyler Hemstreet Staff writer MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The 10th Airlift Squadron's return home March 5 marked the first time in nearly two and a half years that all four of McChord's active duty flying squadrons are home at the same time. McChord's four active duty flying squadrons share responsibility for the deployed squadron as part of the aerospace expeditionary force concept, but for the next four months the lone active duty C-17 Globemaster III squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., will take the open spot in the deployment rotation as the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, headquartered at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. It is responsible for scheduling, planning and executing all C-17 missions into the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility including Iraq and Afghanistan. The 4th AS will return to the rotation later this year. All four flying squadrons being home gives squadron commanders an opportunity to meet face-to-face and discuss mission-related issues, said Lt. Col. Brian Newberry, 7th AS commander. This gives us a chance for four months to make sure we're all on the same sheet of music and make sure any concerns we have with our Airmen are being met," Colonel Newberry said. While Airmen in McChord's flying squadrons are not deployed over the next four months, their commitment level to fulfilling Air Mobility Command's mission of combat airlift remains the same, said Col. Joseph Wiley, 62nd Operations Group commander. "We are still just as busy as ever," Colonel Wiley said. "It's just a different use of the crews and the aircraft to fill the taskings, but they are still being used." Although the EAS cycle gives Airmen a predictable schedule of when they are going to deploy and when they are going to be home, they may still be away from home on temporary duty assignments during the lull in the cycle here, he said. "They are going to be out there TDY with aggressive rates," Colonel Wiley said.