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185th Airmen Honored at Welcome Home Ceremony

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Bill Wiseman
  • 185th Public Affairs
Sioux City, Iowa --  Over 130 Airmen of the 185th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) were honored at a Welcome Home ceremony held at the base in Sioux City, Iowa on Saturday June 7th, 2014. The Airmen were recognized in front of the Wing for having deployed in the last year.

As the first official act as commander of the 185th ARW, Col. Larry Christensen, and as his last official act, former commander, Col. Brian Miller, along with family and friends, honored the members of the 185th who deployed in support of global contingency operations over the last year. As their name was called each airman was greeted by Christensen and Miller and recognized with a certificate and a hand shake.

U.S. Rep. Steve King was also present to welcome the Airmen home.

In the last year, 132 Airmen of the 185th ARW deployed for a combined 6,702 days in support of Department of Defense contingency operations around the world. The airmen's deployments ranged from 30 days to over 180 days in locations ranging from central Asia to the Pacific.

"Everyone gathered here today knows the sacrifice you make to serve. Time away from family, friends, and civilian employment is never easy. You left a comfortable life behind to head off to far off places only to work long hard hours in hostile environments" said Christensen. "You answered that call and did so with pride and professionalism. You completed your mission and for that, we thank you."

Christensen also thanked the families and employers of the deployed airman for their support.