JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The 7th Airlift Squadron, as part of the 7th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, returned from a five-month overseas deployment to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. During the redeployment, spouses, family members, other Airmen, friends and the Tacoma Scots Pipe Band, who performed during the event, awaited the 7th EAS’s arrival.
The reunion marked the end of a demanding deployment where the 7th EAS played a crucial role in supporting several combatant commanders and deterring conflict throughout their area of responsibility with most members of the squadron having never deployed previously.
“I am incredibly proud of the women and men of the 7th EAS for a lot of reasons,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Weinberg, 7th Airlift Squadron commander. “One of which is their ability to transition seamlessly from peace time airlift to combat airlift. Their ability to remain calm under pressure speaks to the investment and belief they have in each other, and the deliberate development that the 62d Airlift Wing put into the exercise series that the 7th went through prior to deployment.”
Weinberg further emphasized the ability of deployments to foster a unique sense of camaraderie and understanding within the squadron.
“In an airlift squadron, the most that you will ever be together, is when you’re deployed. It’s the most touch points that you will ever have with anybody that is in your unit, and that’s when you figure out what your unit’s about. That’s when you figure out if the woman or man next to you is about what they say their about. That’s when you figure out who’s good at stuff and who you need to help get better. So, there’s some magic that happens on a deployment.”
Weinberg continued by underscoring that every role, regardless of deployment status or job, was essential to the squadron’s success. The 7th EAS is formed from both Airmen of the 7th AS and Airmen across Team McChord’s units.
“When I talk about the 7th EAS, I’m talking about everybody that wears a 7th patch. Fly, fix or support your value to the 7th is not based on your proximity to the cockpit. Every single person was heavily involved over the last five months, and I only have gratitude for their level of effort and professionalism as they executed the call of our nation.”
Now that the squadron has returned, the focus shifts to reintegration, rest, and preparation for the future.
“We’re pumped that everybody is back together again,” said Weinberg. “We’re pumped that we’re able to take some time, take a knee, sleep a little bit, and reconnect with all our families and friends. For the year leading up to our available bin deployment, we were focused on sharpening everybody professionally. Now the trend is ‘Let’s reconnect, let’s reset, let’s refocus, and let’s rebuild.’ That’s going to take time.”
The 7th AS, along with the rest of the 62d Airlift Wing, remains prepared to win and will continue to execute today’s global airlift mission.