A
Guardsman (right) of the 108th Air Refueling Wing, located at McGuire
Air Force Base, comforts her daughter after returning from a 45-day
deployment to Oman.
On Jan. 21, approximately 30 Air National Guard members returned from Southwest Asia. These airmen were the first to return of the more than 200 who were deployed in December to provide air refueling support in the ongoing war against terrorism. To date there are still more than 150 Guardsmen in Oman.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the 108th, based at McGuire Air Force Base, has mobilized approximately 600 of its 1,400 citizen-airmen to support Operation's Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. Providing air refueling support and strategic airlift, the 108th has 20 KC-135E Stratotankers, making it one of only three “super tanker wings” in the Air National Guard.