Senior Airman Jonathan Zbella’s family knew his deployment would send him overseas for the holiday season and his 22nd birthday.
So, before he left, his family held “Hallowbirthmasgivingsevetines Day.”
“We had a little of everything,” said Zbella, a finance customer service support personnel deployed in Southwest Asia. “They served turkey, ham, corned beef and cabbage, spaghetti and macaroni and cheese.”
Zbella, along with a third of the entire 152nd Airlift Wing, of Reno, have deployed or are set to deploy this fall and winter to various locations around southwest Asia and Africa. Exact locations, times of departures and personnel assigned will not be released for operational security reasons.
Overall, its largest deployment event in the unit’s recent history, said Master Sgt. Michelle Rauch, 152nd Logistics Readiness Squadron superintendent for plans and integration office.
In 1968, the entire Nevada Air National Guard unit in Reno deployed in response to North Korea’s capture of the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy vessel.
Five decades later, U.S. Air Force deployment models have changed, moving away from the simultaneous deployment of entire wings and groups.
What makes the 152nd Airlift Wing’s current deployment cycle so robust is the combination of two deployment models that occurred at the same time.
About half of the deployers will leave as an Air Expeditionary Force, or AEF, a familiar deployment model for the 152nd. The other half are being deployed for their Reserve Component Period (RCP) a prescheduled deployment timeframe for certain Air Force specialty positions.
“It’s rare for both to happen at once,” Rauch said. “It has definitely made for a busy deployment cycle.”
The AEF called for personnel trained in operations and maintenance, roughly half of the unit’s deployers this year.
The unit’s most recent AEF deployment occurred in 2015. That year, more than 90 Nevada Guard airmen were assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, a tactical airlift hub for re-supply missions providing combat service support to land component forces throughout the Persian Gulf region.
Meanwhile, the RCP, a six-month deployment window, includes support personnel from numerous professional fields going to various locations in U.S. Central Command.
“The 152nd Airlift Wing has accomplished so much in the past two years and while this deployment cycle has not come without its challenges, we continue to overcome and thrive,” said Col. Eric Wade, 152nd Airlift Wing commander. “From flood and fire response in Nevada last year to hurricane response around the U.S. and, now, current deployments overseas, the High Rollers continue to answer the call.”
Zbella worries more about how the deployment will affect his family and girlfriend than himself.
“People keep telling me that once I get into a routine after about a month, it will be busy, and it will smooth out quite a bit,” said Zbella, one of three siblings currently serving in the Nevada Air National Guard.
Not surprising given his position in the 152nd Airlift Wing Comptroller Flight, Zbella plans to save money during the deployment.
“I want to be able to move out of my parents’ house when I return,” he said. “Hopefully, once I return, I’ll have enough saved for my own place.”