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Family, friends welcome home 15th Airlift Squadron

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Paul Kilgallon
  • 437th Airlift Wing
CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Eagerness could be felt throughout the second floor waiting area of the 15th Airlift Squadron.

Spouses, friends and the children gazed frequently at the clock on the wall or outward to the flightline hoping to catch a glimpse of the aircraft bringing back their friends and loved ones. Even though they felt the clock on the wall seemed to have slowed slightly it could not diminish their sense of happiness because their 120-day wait was almost over.

As the aircraft arrival time neared, those 15 AS Airmen who did not deploy, ushered friends and families outside and on to the flightline just outside the restricted area where they could see the plane arrive. 

As the airplane landed and came to a stop, the roar of the engines was replaced by sounds of cheering because members of the Charleston family have finally arrived home.

More than 130 Airmen from the 15 AS returned Saturday morning after completing a 120-day deployment to Southwest Asia as part of Operation's Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The 15 AS Eagles were deployed as the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron from December 2006 to May.

The Eagles flew more than 3,700 sorties and accumulated more than 6,400 flight hours airlifting 115,992 passengers, 24,453 pallets and more than 126 million pounds of cargo with central command.

They executed over 70 distinguished visitor moves, including the secretary of the Air Force and transported more than 4,600 detainees within central command.
In support of coalition forces, the Eagles transported 659 medical and other specialized Jordanian military forces and more than 346,000 pounds of cargo directly to and from their home base to their deployed location.

They flew 26 aeromedical evacuation missions, 15 of which were in support of critically ill patients out of the central command to receive medical care near Ramstein AB, Germany.

Working together with other central command partners, they developed the concept of operations that successfully served to meet the currency requirements of aircraft commanders enabling the 816 EAS to maintain a cadre of qualified crews capable of meeting the demands of any global reach missions supporting the two expeditionary airlift constructs.

They were one of the first squadrons to introduce initial operational capability of the joint precision airdrop mission planner system airdrop utilizing the conventional A-22 Container Delivery System referred to as the Improved Container Delivery System.

The JPADS-MP delivers preflight and onboard mission planning tools necessary to operate from high altitude and achieve high impact point accuracy for both ballistic and guided air delivery systems enabling aircrews to deliver cargo from high altitudes with increased standoff distances allowing for greater precision than using conventional methods.

"Our deployment was challenging and we often had to put in some long hours, but the Airmen of the 15 AS really came through," said Lt. Col. William Anderson, 15 AS commander. "The crews demonstrated the effectiveness of air power in the war on terror Each-and-every single day."

After returning home, the 15 AS will allow time off for their returning crews to be with their families. They will begin to re-establish their normal work routines and start their training cycles in preparation for their next deployment.