Families, friends welcome Airmen home

  • Published
  • By Jasmine DeNamur
  • 919th SOW Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  Approximately 40 wing Airmen split between two MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft made their final landing on Duke Field Sept. 7, ending a summer-long deployment rotation that began in May. 

Reservists deployed anywhere from 30 to 120 days to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, said Col. Steven Chapman, 919th Special Operations Wing commander. 

This is the fourth and final group to return for the summer, he said. 

The Flight Line Hangar here was filled with friends and family members waiting for their Airmen to come home. 

"I've waited for my husband at the airport several times before, but this is my first real homecoming. We're all very excited," said Carla Fernandez. 

Her husband, Maj. Melvin Fernandez, had been deployed for the full 120 days. 

"My biggest challenge while he was gone was keeping our children occupied, especially since they have been out of school for the summer." 

For Staff Sgt. Gentry Nickell, this homecoming was one to remember. 

"As I walked toward my family, I got to see my daughter walk to me for the first time," he said. 

Thirteen-month-old Bria learned to walk while her father was away. 

"It's awesome - I just really don't know what to say," he said. 

Though not her first time being away from her fiancée, Senior Airman Shawana McAfee was eager to see him come home. 

"He's my best friend," she said of Tech. Sgt. John Veals. "We've been together for three years." 

"The hardest thing for me was cutting the grass by myself," she said laughing. 

Regardless of the time each reservist spent overseas, one thing is clear: their dedication was extremely valuable to war-time efforts. 

"I'm extraordinarily proud of these reservists. They fulfilled everything asked of them in a superlative manner," said Colonel Chapman. 

"For their professionalism, courage, and dedication to the mission, they proved time and time again why our special operations are the worst nightmare of America's worst enemies," wrote Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command in a letter to Colonel Chapman. 

"Kudos for a job well done."