10th AS returns home

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Frances Kriss
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  More than 100 Airmen from McChord Field returned home Sept. 1 after a 120-day deployment in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

The 10th Airlift Squadron was deployed as the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron to an overseas contingency location in the Middle East.

"The men and women of the 10th AS, with assistance from our sister squadrons at McChord Field, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, have just completed an extraordinarily successful deployment under the flags of both the 816th and 817th EAS," said Lt. Col. Brad Bridges, 817th EAS commander. "I couldn't be more proud of what this team of professional Airmen has safely accomplished; it is an absolute honor to serve with them."

During their deployment, the 10th AS flew more than 1,600 combat sorties, moved more than 60,000 passengers and delivered more than 60 million pounds of cargo, including 6.9 million pounds of critical supplies air dropped directly to remote forward operating locations in Afghanistan.

"We executed more than 5,000 mishap-free flight hours, overcoming some of the most hostile conditions on the planet, extreme heat, rugged terrain, austere airfields as well as enemy surface to air threats," said Bridges. "In addition to conducting critical airland and airdrop resupply missions for combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the squadron also supported numerous aeromedical evacuation missions, along with the safe movement of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. In an unprecedented mid-deployment movement of C-17 Globemaster III mobility forces in theater, the unit also seamlessly relocated the entire squadron to two new operating locations in less than 36 hours - a demonstration of the truly expeditionary airlift capability we bring to the fight."

For 1st Lt. Reinier Villanueva, 10th AS co-pilot, this was his first deployment, so it was a big learning experience for him.

"It was incredible to be part of the big mission--exhilarating," said Villanueva. "You read about it in the newspapers and the internet, but it was very real to actually see the efforts in a deployed location."

The Airmen are proud to come home with many successes and accomplishments during their deployment, and they were even happier to return home and reunite with their families.

"It's great to be back home," said Staff Sgt. Sean Sullivan, 10th AS loadmaster. "I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and since the weather is still great, we're probably going to the beach this weekend."

Cerise, Sullivan's wife, is also thrilled to have her husband home.

"I'm really excited for him to be home," she said. "We've missed him so much!"

The 62nd Airlift Wing's four active duty flying squadrons share responsibility for the deployed squadron and rotate operating the 817th EAS continuously. The deployments allow Air Mobility Command to consistently position assets closer to the action.

Members of the 10th AS were replaced by the 8th AS, which departed for the Middle East Aug. 26 and are expected to return in October.