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In Tech. Sgt. Manly Souza’s mind, it’s all part of the job. One he understood would be needed of him when he first joined the U.S. Air Force and the Hawaii Air National Guard. It’s a sacrifice that many U.S. Service Members undertake during the course of their careers.
Souza and twelve other members of the 154th Security Forces Squadron recently left Hawaii for a deployment to the Middle East and the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
For Souza, the deployment marks the sixth time he will have embarked on a Middle East tour of duty.
“I feel like it's my job. It's a contract that I need to fulfill,” Souza said. “I enjoy being in the Hawaii Air National Guard and I look forward to doing my 20.”
The deployment is in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel.
The 154 SFS is part of a long list of HIANG units that have been called upon to deploy in support of a contingency operation. For the 154 SFS the calling is of a high frequency.
“Since 9/11, this unit has often times sent several teams out in one year to several different locations. Sometimes as much as two to three deployments in one year.” said 154 SFS superintendant, Chief Master Sgt. Melvin Yamamoto.
According to Yamamoto the deployment is the fifteenth time in as many years the unit has sent its members to the desert.
The experience level of the deployed airmen runs a wide range. From seasoned deployers such as Souza, to airmen near the start of their Air Force commitments; for eight members of the team, the deployment is their first.
“The sacrifice isn't so much for me, but for the personnel I'm taking,” said Souza. “Many are sacrificing time with their families…time spent with their children that cannot be recuperated is a major factor when it comes to the word sacrifice.”
The airmen are scheduled to return back to Hawaii sometime after summer.
The CENTCOM AOR encompasses the area of Southwest Asia and most of the Middle East. Due to operational security reasons and host nation sensitivities the exact country where the airmen are deployed is not being released.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2017 18:56 |
| Story ID: | 224248 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 154th Security Forces head to desert one more time, by SSgt Orlando Corpuz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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