Airmen receive warm welcome home | CPT PPP Coverage

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Team Charleston welcomed home more than 250 Airmen after a deployment to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

During their deployment, the 15th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron “Global Eagles” flew more than 500 missions around the globe, airlifting more than 47 million pounds of cargo in support of various operations.

“At the end of the day, we flew over 550 missions, so that’s well over 550 C-17 loads of cargo,” said Lt. Col. Brad Fisher, mission commander. “All told, the C-17 can hold up to 587,000 pounds. It’s surreal we’re all very happy to be home this morning we all woke up in the Middle East and now we’re home after very long 24-hour day. We are excited to be here with our families.”

Tt was also an emotional moment for family and friends of the Airmen as hundreds were waiting to see them land and were exited for the emotional welcome home.

Lindsay Stephens was patiently waiting on the return of her husband.

“It’s been six months,” she said. “Today is our third wedding anniversary.”

Chaney Mitchell was there with her 10-month old daughter, Etta.

“She’s a lot different baby than when he left,” she said, with a smiling Etta on her lap.

Video calls helped out folks early and often, such as the Paradise Family.

”(We had video calls) a lot. Pretty much every day,” said mother and wife, Lauren. “The kids have grown two-inches each since he’s been gone.”

This deployment marked Joint Base Charleston’s first force element deployment under the Air Force’s new Force Generation model. Maintainers, support personnel and aircrew worked to ensure around-the-clock success of their C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft.

On this latest mission, their cargo on the 17 aircraft varied a great deal.

“On one hand, these Airmen provided great hope through our aeromedical evacuation, humanitarian aid and refugee repatriation missions,” Fisher said. “On the other hand, they enabled decisive action by airlifting tanks, aircraft, articles of war, soldiers, weapons, ammunition, air defense systems and the list goes on.

For now, unless extended leave is taken, the crew will take normal two weeks of down time and get ready and train for the next mission, whatever and wherever that may be.

“The way we train and prepare is for us to be ready at any time,” Fisher said.

The missions are always on at Joint Base Charleston. A day before the arrival on Oct. 2, Joint Base Charleston was preparing to deploy more than 150 Airmen who were processed through the Installation Deployment Readiness Center to make sure they have fulfilled all requirements before their departure.