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79th Fighter Squadron and Tiger AMU return home to Shaw

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Approximately 220 members of the 79th Fighter Squadron and the Tiger Aircraft Maintenance Unit returned from a seven-month deployment on April 28 at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.

A crowd of friends and families greeted the returning Tigers, waving colorful signs to welcome their Airmen home.

"It's so awesome to have (my husband) back," said Kelley Winter, wife of Tech. Sgt. James Winter, 79th AMU. "It's surreal. Seven months is a long time to have him gone."

Coming off the plane and seeing the crowds of people waiting to greet the returning Airmen made Staff Sgt. Adam C. Barker, 79th AMU electrical and environmental system craftsman, feel that he and the work he did was appreciated, he said.

The Patriot Guard provided the returning Airmen with a tunnel of American flags which the Airmen walked through after disembarking the aircraft.

"I'm out here to support the guys who go out to the front lines and defend our freedoms," said U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer (ret) Dane Barrows, a member of the Patriot Guard and a Vietnam veteran. "I am so proud of these guys going out there and doing their job. Being here is just a small thing to do for guys who put so much on the line."

The 79th FS flew the last two combat Air Force aircraft over Iraq, providing top cover for the last convoys leaving the country.

"It's great to have our people safely home with their families after completing the mission they were sent to do and completing that mission second to none," said Chief Master Sgt. Darrel Ford, 20th Operations Group superintendent.