Ellsworth Airmen return home from Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Hailey Staker
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Approximately 350 Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing returned to Ellsworth from a deployment to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Aug. 10.

The deployers were met on the Ellsworth flightline by a crowd of family, friends and coworkers eager to welcome them home after more than six months of B-1 bomber combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
 
"We are excited to be able to welcome our Airmen home from this deployment and extremely proud of what they accomplished," said Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th Bomb Wing commander. "The entire Ellsworth team was instrumental in making this deployment successful - from those supporting combatant commanders downrange to everyone who remained at Ellsworth, carrying on the mission and sustaining Airmen and their families."

Lt. Col. Joseph Sheffield, 37th Bomb Squadron deployed commander, said he is proud of the Airmen and all of the hard work they did in support of both our allies and the combatant commands while downrange.

"This was my first time as a commander, and my Airmen did phenomenal," Sheffield said. "They've been trained, they've been prepared and they wanted to go do their job -- they've done outstanding so it's exciting to be a part of that team with them."

Sheffield added he was impressed to see the reception awaiting him and his fellow Airmen after such a long deployment.

"It's an absolutely exciting moment to be able to come home after being deployed for a number of months doing whatever we needed to do to serve our country and to have our family, friends and the community to come out and support us... it's a really exciting time," Sheffield said.

Family members gathered outside the Pride Hangar anticipating the arrival of their loved ones, several waving colorful posters and signs welcoming them home.

"I've been waiting for seven months for this day to come and it's overwhelming," said Jerry Ward, husband of Tech. Sgt. Erin Ward, 37th Bomb Squadron independent duty medical technician. "I'm so proud of Erin and what she's done in defending her country and it makes me proud to be home supporting her and being here today to welcome her back."

Though deployments are always possible in the future, the overall focus today was celebrating the return of Ellsworth's Airmen.

Ellsworth, home to two of America's three B-1 combat squadrons, provides support for operations around the clock, 12 of every 18 months in Southwest Asia. During this deployment, aircrews provided critical air presence, precision strike and surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to support military objectives in that region.

With Ellsworth's Airmen home, B-1s from the 9th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, have taken the baton, providing 24/7 overwatch in support of OEF.