Photo By Leanna Maschino | Nearly 30 Soldiers with 1st Airfield Operations Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment,...... read more read more
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NORMAN, Okla. – It is safe to say that there is no better feeling on a cold, rainy day than to hug a loved one after almost a year apart. That was the case today for family and friends who gathered at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma to welcome their Soldiers home.
Nearly 30 Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen with 1st Airfield Operations Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment, 90th Troop Command, deployed to the Middle East last Summer, and on this stormy Saturday, they are officially home.
“It’s wonderful,” Sgt. Rowdy Blackmon said as his son played at his feet and his wife held their 10-week-old daughter. “I missed all these kids so much.”
For Blackmon, the nearly yearlong deployment wasn’t the only time spent away from his wife and children. Prior to the deployment, he was on nine-month temporary duty (TDY) in California and then immediately deployed overseas, totaling close to two years away from his loved ones.
Also joining the returning Soldiers during the ceremony was United States Senator James Lankford, Maj. Gen. Robbie Asher, adjutant general for Oklahoma, and Col. John Muller, commander of 90th Troop Command, all of whom praised each Soldier for their dedication and warmly welcomed them home.
While deployed, the AOB “Warbirds” conducted air traffic control and airfield operations in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield. Their mission provided services to a multitude of units, including directly supporting Special Operations Forces.
Stationed in Lexington, Oklahoma, the AOB is a versatile unit that has the ability to set-up an airfield anywhere in the world within minutes.
“We can start talking to airplanes and helicopters within ten to fifteen minutes, and then basically it grows from there,” said Capt. Scott Collins, commander of the AOB.
According to Collins, the unit was stationed mostly in one location for the duration of the deployment, but they continued mobility training in case they were called to another location.
“We set-up and were there for most of the time,” Collins said. “We had some fixed-based facilities that we were working out of and also we were working on the equipment set-up and tear-down training on the side in case we did have to launch.”
Though the AOB conducted these operations for military aircraft throughout their deployment, they also provide these services for civilian aircraft when needed.
Now that the Soldiers are home, they will have time to spend with their loved ones and re-integrate back into civilian life through the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. This program promotes the well-being of National Guard and Reserve members and their families by connecting them with resources before, during and after a deployment.
| Date Taken: | 04.29.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.29.2017 22:51 |
| Story ID: | 232059 |
| Location: | NORMAN, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Oklahoma Army National Guard air traffic controllers return from the Middle East, by Leanna Maschino, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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