6th Airlift Squadron deploys, families bid farewell

Published Oct. 27, 2009
By 2nd Lt Christine Darius
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Family members were joined by 305th Air Mobility Wing and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst leadership, as they bid farewell Oct. 26 to the 6th Airlift Squadron Airmen departing for Operations IRAQI AND ENDURING FREEDOM.

A farewell ceremony was held at the JB MDL Passenger Terminal to mark the noteworthy deployment. The squadron deployed en masse - which happens once every two years. The 6th AS's last deployment of this kind occurred in August 2007.

"We employ our C-17 Globemaster IIIs to provide airlift and air medical assistance throughout the world," said Lt. Col. John Price, Jr. "We move people, equipment and injured personnel throughout the (Area of Responsibility). Whether it's bullets, beans, Airmen, Soldiers or Marines, we're moving it around the clock to every kind of location - from modern airfields to dirt strips."

When the 6th AS is here at home station it executes contingency and planned missions in small crews. The squadron members view this mass deployment as a great opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and professionalism in service to our nation.

"This is what we train to do all the time and now we finally get to do it," said Capt. Jeffery Overstreet, 6th AS aircraft commander. "It's kind of like a football or baseball player, he or she practices all week ... all year, and then the season finally comes along and they get to show everyone what he or she was trained to do."

However, as with most units across all of the branches of the military, the squadron's frequent deployments and temporary-duty assignments result in precious time away from their families. They typically deploy for a few weeks then come for a few weeks on a continuous rotation.

"The reality is there are highs and lows of being married to someone in the military who deploys," said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Casciano, family readiness noncommissioned officer at the JB MDL Warfighter and Family Readiness Center.

"We offer programs, such as the Hearts Apart Support Group and Solo Connection as well as Military Life Consultants who assist families during those hard times."