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A video screengrab shows a returning airman being greeted by state adjutant general Maj. Gen. Darryll Wong at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Tuesday morning. (Courtesy Tech. Sgt. Andrew Jackson)
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Two Hawaii Air National Guard KC-135 refueling aircraft and airmen who had deployed to the Middle East returned home early Tuesday morning after conducting more than 100 refueling missions for aircraft including fighters and bombers in and around Iraq, officials said.
The airmen were greeted in the pre-dawn darkness by state adjutant general Maj. Gen. Darryll Wong and unit and family members, the Hawaii National Guard said.
The Air Guard tankers and airmen from the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron and 154th Maintenance Squadron deployed to the U.S. Central Command area in July.
They were joined by several members of the active-duty Air Force’s 96th Air Refueling Squadron, which is also based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the National Guard said.
About 40 airmen participated over the span of the deployment. While deployed to the Middle East, the Air Guard and active-duty flight crews refueled various types of U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft.
Due to what it said are "host nation sensitivities and operational security concerns," the Hawaii Air Guard did not disclose the exact location of the deployment.
The deployment was scheduled "well in advance and was not specifically tied to supporting airstrikes against terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria," the Hawaii National Guard said.
The United States has access to airbases in the region including al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, The Washington Post reported.