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TAJI, Iraq– Soon a group of Iowa National Guardsmen will be leaving Iraq and leaving behind a legacy of training and friendship with their Iraqi Air Force partners.“This day I would like to say goodbye to our dear friends who gave serious assistance and backup for our air force,” said Lt. Gen. Kamal, IqAF commander. “They did a major job to build our new Air Force.”“We would like to thank their families, said Kamal. “Because they were so patient waiting for them to do their duties here. Our salute to their families to wish them all the best happiness and...

The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the “troop surge” in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now. “All in all, it's been a very successful operation for us,” Army Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, told reporters...

JOHNSTON, Iowa -- Homecoming ceremonies will be held on Wednesday in Denison, Johnston and Sioux City for members of two Iowa Army National Guard units returning from Iraq.About 120 soldiers were mobilized from Company D, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, based in Denison. Another 120 soldiers were mobilized from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 113th Calvary, based at Camp Dodge in Johnston and Sioux City. The guard said both units were mobilized last May. The soldiers left Iowa in June for additional training at Camp Shelby, Miss., before being sent to Iraq, where both units served in the Baghdad area.The homecoming for...

FR Exclusive !! :) GREETINGS to all of my Family, FRiends, and FReepers. I trust this short note finds you well as we celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My Christmas present this year was the safe arrival of my team to KUWAIT. This arrival marks the beginning of my journey HOME to the Land of the Free --- Because of the Brave --- of whom I am proud to be one of many.... If all goes well I should be a FULLY FUNCTIONING -- U.S. CITIZEN on or about New Years Day !!Thank you so...

The Pentagon expects that more than 40,000 U.S. troops will be home by July if the situation in Iraq remains stable, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday. Declining to cite exact troop numbers, Mr. Gates told reporters that five brigade combat teams are scheduled to be home by July. Defense officials said there are nearly 4,000 front-line troops for each plus about that number of support personnel, who are expected to redeploy as well. "The situation on the ground, I think, makes it likely that General [David H.] Petraeus will be able to decide and bring out the first...

After a nine-month deployment in the province of Uruzgan, the 600 soldiers of Kandak 1 were finally going home. These combat soldiers, under Dutch mentorship, are part of 1st Brigade, 205 Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA). To bring things full circle, they had to be brought back to the province of Kandahar. My team was given the job of getting these soldiers back to their training base at Camp Hero in Sherzaï. The operation, which proved to be a great success, was carried out in two stages: the soldiers were flown home by plane and their equipment and...

FORT HUACHUCA — The shadows of snow clouds steadily built and enveloped the Huachucas, but never quite managed to engulf hangar No. 3 at Libby Army Airfield late Monday afternoon. There was already enough precipitation flowing as the families, friends, a few pets, and comrades-in-arms gathered for two all-too-brief hours to say a goodbye with a kiss, hug or gentle touch that must last 15 months. “I gave him a present on his birthday,” said Chief Warrant Officer Ramona Hill, indicating little Wilson Hill, born on Oct. 25, held by his daddy with whom he will always share a birthday,...

A US soldier is to return home from Iraq under a military proviso known as the "sole survivor" rule after losing both of his brothers in the war. Jason Hubbard, 33, will be re-united with his family in Clovis, California after his brother Nathan, 21, died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on Wednesday. His other sibling Jared Hubbard was killed by a roadside bomb in 2004. The "sole survivor" policy, which has allowed Jason to leave Iraq, formed the premise of movie Saving Private Ryan. Nathan and Jason Hubbard had joined the army in 2005, shortly after their brother,...

Media Advisory Remains of Four Soldiers Returning Home MA 06-12 - August 5, 2006CHANGE OF TIMING OTTAWA, Ont. - The remains of Sgt. Vaughn Ingram, Cpl. Bryce James Keller, Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid and Pte. Kevin Dallaire, all of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, are scheduled to return home to Canada Sunday afternoon. Where: 8 Wing Trenton, Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario. When: Sunday, August 6, 7:30 p.m. What:  As per the request of the families, media are invited to view the arrival, though no interviews will be given. Present to pay their respects will be...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The bodies of the four Canadian soldiers killed in fierce fighting with insurgents Thursday began the long journey home Saturday morning during a sombre ramp ceremony here attended by more than 3,000 troops from several NATO countries when they were carried by 36 pallbearers into the belly of waiting Hercules aircraft #130325. Three of the 10 soldiers injured alongside them, also members of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, watched the ceremony from wheelchairs beneath the hot morning sun and were wheeled onto the plane to pay their final respects. The combat deaths of...

ABOARD USS NASSAU (April 24, 2006) -- As the Marines and sailors of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) prepare for the long journey home crossing the Atlantic, one Marine was able to get his homecoming a little early. Cpl. Phillip Ramirez, of Jacksonville, Fla., a squad leader with Weapon’s Co., Battalion Landing Team, 1st Bn., 2nd Marines, got the chance to meet his father during an underway replenishment at sea (unrep). Ramirez’s father, Leonardo, is the chief cook for USNS Patuxent, the Fleet Replenishment Oiler assigned to refuel the Nassau. “I was told a half hour ago...

Big Brother Is Watching WHO?? TSA "Terrorist" Turns Out To Be A Homeward-Bound Marine by ANN Senior Correspondent Kevin R.C. "Hognose" O'Brien The Transportation Security Administration bagged a terrorist in Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday, or so they thought. Daniel Brown's name came up on their no-fly watchlist, so they dragged him into interrogation and grilled him, despite the protestations of Brown and his fellow travelers, who swore they could vouch for him. The others in Brown's party went on their Northwest Airlines flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul, where they waited on a bus at the airport. You see, the detained...

The first wave of the 48th Brigade Combat Team will return from Iraq and into the arms of their loved ones during a huge celebration at Fort Stewart Wednesday night. Gov. Sonny Perdue will be among the Georgians welcoming the soldiers home to the southeast Georgia town of Hinesville after they served more than a year in the war in Iraq. The north Georgia community of Dawson County is also preparing for a big homecoming celebration because so many soldiers are from there. One mother, Julie Nix, read from what she hopes will be one of the last emails her...

Ships, planes of Theodore Roosevelt strike group return next week The ships and aircraft of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will return home next week from six months supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The more than 7,500 sailors left September 1. 060303-N-9362D-001 Mediterranean Sea (March 3, 2006) – The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) pass the Rock of Gibraltar as it makes the transit from the Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Ocean. Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) are underway on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate...

<p>I would like to start off by saying thank you to everyone for your outpour of support for me during my time of suffering. Your prayers, concerns, and well wishes meant a lot to me, and I hold them in my heart. Unfortunately, as is with all letters of mine, they are written date by date. This will keep you reading and not jump into the climax portion. Sorry but boredom is mandatory, and there is no cheating allowed.</p>

OPERATION HERO ALERT: Funeral Services for Seargent Evan Seam ParkerCounter-Protest of WBCWednesday, 11/2/2005*South Haven Public School - South Haven, KS OPERATION HERO is spreading word of a planned picket by Westboro Baptist Church during the memorial service of Seargent Evan Seam Parker. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church will be picketing during the funeral service for Sgt. Evan Seam Parker on Wednesday, November 2 in South Haven, KS. This anti-Troops/anti-war "liberal" hate group will be protesting from 1pm - 2pm outside the High School where services are being held. The funeral service is scheduled to begin at 2pm, so...

When Delta Flight 1880 landed late Saturday at Logan International Airport in Boston, the pilot went on the intercom to make a request of the passengers preparing to grab their carry-on bags: Sit for a moment and honor a fallen soldier. "The pilot said, 'We have a hero on this flight and sadly, he isn't with us, but his mother is escorting his remains,' " said Barbara Bell, sister of Sgt. Pierre A. Raymond, 28, an Army reservist from Lawrence, Mass., who died Tuesday in Germany after being wounded in Iraq. The normal bustle of an emptying airplane immediately ceased,...

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 21, 2005) -- Seven months ago, the city’s crumbling buildings and nearly empty streets greeted the Marines of 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. Major combat operations had ceased in Fallujah, but the ruins and desolation all around spoke of a conflict not long past. It was up to Marines like Elizabeth City, N.C. native, Cpl. Mychal McVicker, and his team to help restore order and stability to the war-torn city’s people. A task they eagerly set out to tackle. McVicker, who had served a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2004, was once again overseas to fight terrorism....

AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 19, 2005) -- The Gunrunners of Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 have transferred their mission to the Warriors of HML/A-167. The squadron will soon return to Marine Corps Air Station, New River, N.C., after six months deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “It’s an honor to be part of the history of Iraq,” said Cpl. Chris J. Henderson, HML/A-269 administrative clerk and Baton Rouge, La., native. “We had a mission set out for us before coming out here and we accomplished it in a way that makes our unit proud.” With only half of their...

SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) -- Astronauts completed flight control checks aboard space shuttle Discovery and practiced landing on a computer simulator as they made final preparations Sunday for their return to Earth. Flight director LeRoy Cain said the weather forecast looked good for Monday's predawn landing at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Cain said he and everyone else on the entry team at Mission Control were both excited and anxious about Discovery's return, and were not dwelling on Columbia's catastrophic descent 2 1/2 years ago. "We're looking forward, we're not looking back," he said with less than 24 hours to go before...

Seahawks conclude Iraqi tour, make mark in history Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Story Identification #: 200572224315 Story by Gunnery Sgt. Shannon Arledge AL ASAD, Iraq (July 22, 2005) -- Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 started its journey home today. After seven months in a deployed combat environment, the 190 Marines are ending their deployment that began in mid January. “All the Marines were very eager to support [Operation Iraqi Freedom],” said Sgt. Joseph A. Esala, electronics section, a native of Statesboro, Ga. “It is a challenging and worthy effort. I’m honored to have been involved in it.”...

Could somebody please post the links to the Soldiers tributes (any of them).... I think I'm thinking of the one with the "Homeward Bound" soundtrack. I know its early but I won't be near a keybord this weekend and I want to see them.

My fellow FREEPers, I know it's been a while. Well i forgot to duck. By the time most of you see this I will be on my way to Germany for treatment. The war for me is done. My men continue to do the job. This last rash of bombings and attacks are being under reported and I don't know why. Al Queada is getting desparate. I don't know when I'm will RTS. But I do imagine that it will be soon. God I love wireless. LOL! Please keep praying for us. Socomofficer

Editor's Note: This is a recent letter from 1st Lt. Brian Donlon USMC to a group of friends and supporters with whom he had stayed in contact during his deployment to Iraq. It was provided to DefenseWatch by a mutual friend. To All, This will be my final letter from Iraq. I will be leaving the country in the next week and should be home in the United State soon after. Spring is now here in Iraq. The weather is pleasantly warm with the occasional sunny day. On a recent trip, I flew in a helicopter north of Baghdad over...

To All, This will be my final letter from Iraq.  I will be leaving the country in the next week and should be home in the United State soon after. Spring is now here in Iraq.  The weather is pleasantly warm with the occasional sunny day.  On a recent trip, I flew in a helicopter North of Baghdad over miles of small farms, criss-crossed by irrigation canals, each surrounded by bright green fields.  It all gave an impression of timelessness, life unchanging but for the season.  In the days since the elections it has been very quiet here and all...

Marine Reserve unit prepares for return home; welcomes replacements HIT, Iraq, March 20, 2005 — Charlie Company no longer occupies one of the most mortared outposts in Iraq. Our days at Forward Operations Base (FOB) Hit — pronounced “fob heat” — are over. The last of the company reached Al Asad airbase, our staging area for our flight out early on Tuesday. Later Tuesday we turned in all but 60 of our 210-round combat load of bullets and it was a good feeling. During Operation River Blitz I had more than 800 rounds for my rifle, though a mostly cowed...

The Crawford family is crossing its fingers and holding its collective breath. Thirty-six-year-old Cpl. Curtis Crawford is scheduled to fly out of Baghdad tomorrow on the first leg of a 12-day journey home to his St. Helena family -- wife Priscilla and children, Jennifer, Cassy, Jordon, Cyler, Jagger and Dakota. "The kids are really excited," Priscilla Crawford said last week as she was working on homecoming details. "The older ones are kind of apprehensive. They're not sure if a good thing or bad thing. It's been a long time." Crawford, who had been in the Army for seven years until...

At Abu Ghraib, Armin Cruz handcuffed defenseless Iraqi men together in a sexually humiliating embrace. He put his foot on their backsides and pushed, to simulate homosexual thrusting. He forced them to low-crawl across a cement floor, scraping their genitals until it hurt. In Plano, he was an after-school counselor at Christie Elementary School. He was known to sprawl on the floor with kids for hours, helping with homework, coloring pictures, playing cards. He was gentle, his co-workers say, and patient. Mr. Cruz, a military intelligence analyst and 24-year-old college student from Plano, was sentenced in September to eight months...

Marines and sailors of the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded three ships of the Sasebo, Japan- based USS Essex Amphibious Readiness Group and began their voyage home from the Middle East on Monday. The trip back to Okinawa will take about four weeks, according to a 31st MEU news release. The MEU’s 2,200 members served in Iraq from last September to February, when the unit was assigned to the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. It was responsible primarily for conducting security and stabilization operations in the 33,000-square-mile U.S. area of operation in the Al Anbar province. It...

The last email entry from this guy after a six month tour in Iraq. ============================================= Dear family and Friends: When you get this I will be on my way home. It is a trek from Baghdad to Kuwait on to Frankfort, Germany and then to Texas... 27 hours from Kuwait to Texas. Three days there and then home... It has been an amazing 6 months. I don’t have the ability to describe my emotions right now-- maybe some day when they aren’t so raw I’ll be able to categorize them. I am incredibly happy to be going home but I...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — What Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli says he dreads most after a year in Baghdad at the head of the First Cavalry Division is going home. He will leave by the end of the month, walk out of the headquarters his troops have built near Baghdad International Airport, stride past the sign saying “Complacency kills – don’t become a statistic,” and head for Fort Hood, Tex. The Third Infantry Division, which stormed into the airport almost two years ago at the spearhead of the American invasion, will take over. Some things come full circle. But other things do...

ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ – Raider Platoon's final combat patrol in Iraq hardly felt like a transition. During the miserable graveyard shift, the rain-lashed armored vehicles cut along a dark ribbon of highway, east of Fallujah, scouring the cold night for enemies. None could be found. Raider's last mission closed in gray daybreak, with mudcaked boots and little fanfare. The dream of homecoming is finally turning to reality for the US marines of the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR), Charlie Company, a key element of the invasion of Fallujah last November. Their war over for now, this week the marines turned...

NORTH COUNTY ---- Some make the trip from small towns in places like Ohio and Mississippi. Some send banners. Some are already on base and bring newborns to introduce to overwhelmed fathers. But there's much to do beforehand. Wives give the house a good scrub; kids make posters to greet Dad. Favorite foods will be stocked in the fridge; cold beers may stand at the ready. Then there are the haircuts. The new clothes. And a flood of emotions. Anxiety. Trepidation. Excitement. Relief. It's all part of greeting the more than 2,000 Marines and sailors of the Camp Pendleton-based 11th...

The following link is a five minute slide show (it may take awhile to load), turn your volume up, and get a box of kleenex: Homeward Bound I hope you all enjoy. My favorite: The beautiful child near the end, welcoming her hero home.

Prayer Request for my friend and Co-worker here in Iraq. His name is Darryl. Unfortunately, his father has just passed away due to a massive and unexpected heart attack. As I type this, he is on his way home for what is sure to be a rough time. Your prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!!!

A local soldier is recovering in a German military hospital after he broke his neck while on duty in Iraq. Sergeant Justin Little, 24, was on night patrol Wednesday in Mosul, Iraq when the Stryker vehicle he was in went over a 30-foot embankment. Thursday night Little's family in Longview learned that even though his neck is broken, he will not end up paralyzed. Friday Little's two sisters got to speak with him in Germany for the first time in weeks. "Our soldiers need to know no matter where they are or where they're from, we're all proud of them,"...

It started with one first class passenger asking a soldier what seat he was sitting in, as he passed by in the airplane's isle. The soldier mentioned a seat in the back, but the passenger in 1st class told him no, you're taking MY seat.

SACRAMENTO - The California National Guard's 1498th Transportation Company will return from their Iraq tour, flying in to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside. Soldiers are scheduled to return on two flights - at 5:20 and 6:25 p.m. today. Approximately 220 soldiers in desert camouflage uniforms are expected to be greeted by family and friends, and will be welcomed home with a barbecue and bagpipe music. The mission of the 1498th, which includes dozens of Antelope Valley residents as well as reservists from across the Southland, was to use its heavy equipment transporter systems to move equipment and supplies from...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A local soldier shot five times in Iraq is headed back to the United States for surgery and what may be a lengthy recovery.Army Sgt. Byron Sutherland was shot last weekend during fierce fighting in Sadr City near Baghdad. Eight soldiers were killed and 40 others wounded "There were a million guns on us," he told his father when he called to say he was hurt, but alive. He said they were overrun by a mob of Iraqis. "He told me when they turned down a street, the first two vehicles blew up," father Pete Sutherland told...

  Troop Rotation to Iraq Continues, Units Assuming Control By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 31, 2004 – The largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II continues in Iraq, Defense Department officials said today. In all more than 250,000 U.S. service members are affected. Planning for the rotation began months ago. New units worked with units in Iraq to learn their new missions and to plan the movement. In December, new units began flowing into the region, and in January, they began the relief-in-place process. Officials expect the rotation to continue through May, when 110,000 U.S....

64th CSG One Step Closer to Home Balad, Iraq – Two Army corps support groups will transfer authority in a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit March 23. The 167th Corps Support Group, Londonderry, N.H. is replacing the 64th Corps Support Group redeploying to Ft. Hood, Texas. The 167th, commanded by Col. Gordon McKenzie, was alerted Nov. 12. They were ordered to active duty Dec. 7 and mobilized three days later. The unit arrived in Kuwait Feb. 19 and in Iraq on March 9. The 64th, commanded by Col. Thomas Richardson, has been providing direct and general...

Saturday, March 20, 2004 Back in Iraq: 1st Marine Division returns ready to rebuild By Kent Harris, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Sunday, March 21, 2004 Kent Harris / S&S Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack and Command Sgt. Maj. Wolf Amacker carefully roll up the colors of the 82nd Airborne Division on Saturday as the soldiers gave way in western Iraq to the 1st Marine Division. Kent Harris / S&S Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, deputy commander of Joint Task Force-7, Maj. Gen. James Mattis and Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack stare at the colors Saturday during a transfer of authority ceremony in...

Iraqis bid a fond farewell to liberating Army infantry By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, March 12, 2004 BALAD, Iraq — As a crowd of Iraqis clapped and cheered, leaders of the 4th Infantry Division unit that brought calm to this city gave a gift meant to symbolize peace and friendship. Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman and Capt. Matt Cunningham — battalion and company commanders from the 4th ID’s 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment — presented a statue of a dove flying above a map of Iraq. It stands atop a red-tile pedestal and fountain built by local...

BALAD, Iraq — As a crowd of Iraqis clapped and cheered, leaders of the 4th Infantry Division unit that brought calm to this city gave a gift meant to symbolize peace and friendship. Lt. Col. Nate Sassaman and Capt. Matt Cunningham — battalion and company commanders from the 4th ID’s 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment — presented a statue of a dove flying above a map of Iraq. It stands atop a red-tile pedestal and fountain built by local artisans. The officers dedicated the statue to 1,500 men, women and children from the Shiite city of 170,000 who were slaughtered...

Beginning this month, leathernecks from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force will return to Iraq, replacing elements of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. The return of the Marines is surely bad news for those desperate to undermine the liberation of Iraq. Not to take anything away from the U.S. Army — its soldiers have performed magnificently, and will no doubt continue to do so — but America's enemies have a particular fear of U.S. Marines. During the first Gulf War in 1991, over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were deployed along the Iraqi-Kuwaiti coastline in anticipation of a landing by some 17,000 U.S....

AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Soldiers washed Humvee windshields, loaded up the last pieces of cargo and checked to make sure they left no wrench or weapon behind. The next day would be the first leg in their journey home after spending a year in Iraq. But before they reach a relatively safe, dusty camp across the border in Kuwait, their convoy must travel through areas known for roadside bombs, ambushes and mortar attacks. Spc. Christopher Watson, 23, of Houston, scowls when asked about the risks. In the past 12 months, he has faced more than his fair share...

354th Civil Affairs Brigade Wraps Up its Baghdad Mission BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The 354th Civil Affairs Brigade officially concluded its role in rebuilding Iraq during transfer-of-authority ceremonies Feb. 28. The 354th, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in Riverdale, Md., provided civil affairs command and control in the Baghdad area of operations for the 3rd Infantry Division and the 1st Armored Division. The brigade is comprised of the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion and the 414th Civil Affairs Battalion. The brigade worked with the divisions' maneuver brigades, the Government Support Team, the Coalition Provisional Authority, international...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Some of the most influential Iraqi leaders and sheiks west of Baghdad greeted incoming Marine commanders and bid farewell to departing Army leaders at an informal tent gathering on Sunday. The I Marine Expeditionary Force is replacing the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division in the country’s contentious An Anbar province. In the western portion, the Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based 7th Marine Regiment is replacing the Army’s 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is returning to its home in Fort Carson, Colo., this month. Iraqi sheiks, police and regional governors met U.S. military commanders at this remote air...

Story Number: NNS040304-08 Release Date: 3/5/2004 12:03:00 AM By Journalist Seaman Richard Locklear, USS Enterprise Public Affairs ABOARD USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea (NNS) -- As the deployment of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) ended Feb. 29, its crew hosted a “Tiger Cruise” for family and friends to give them a taste of life aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Approximately 1,500 new Enterprise, also know as "Big E," shipmates embarked for the final leg of the journey home from Mayport, Fla., to the carrier’s homeport of Norfolk, Va. According to Big E’s Tiger Cruise coordinator Lt. Curness Pierre Russell, the Tiger...

They've spent months in the Middle East flying and servicing Air Force planes. Now hundreds of Davis-Monthan airmen are heading home. Several hundred local airmen who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan last fall are due to start returning to the Tucson base this weekend. D-M's A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets will return later. The first batch of expected arrivals are about 50 members of the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Group. They've been overseas since early November as part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the global war on terrorism. The maintenance group includes mechanics, electricians, navigation technicians, crew chiefs and others who...