Ill. airlift wing returns home

[unhappycamper]

Ill. airlift wing returns home
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 7, 2009 10:06:49 EST

PEORIA, Ill. — About 20 members of the 182nd Airlift Wing are home after spending nearly two months in Afghanistan.

Because of their service, they missed the celebration of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Most, like Tech. Sgt. Mark Rodgers, will make up for that this week.

Rodgers of Hanna City says his belated Christmas celebration this weekend will be a little different this year. He says most years, they visit with extended family.

This year, Rodgers says it will be just him, his wife and two children, ages 9 and 6.

Rodgers’ unit, which came home Tuesday, is made up of a plane, an air crew and maintenance personnel. It combined with Guard members from other units to form a temporary squadron that performed resupply missions for NATO and U.S. troops and ferried soldiers around Afghanistan.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_belatedholidays_010709/%2e