A Heap of Flying for C-17 Unit

More than 125 airmen of the 14th Airlift Squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C., just returned from a four-month deployment to Southwest Asia, where they carried out more than 3,000 missions in their C-17 transports, logging nearly four thousand hours of flying time. They moved more than 108 million pounds of cargo and airlifted more than 70 thousand passengers, including the transfer of a Georgian brigade last month from Iraq back to the Republic of Georgia after Russia invaded its Black Sea neighbor. The squadron also completed 25 airdrop missions over 41 drop zones, delivering more than one million pounds of ammunition, food, and water to US and coalition troops. “At the end of the day, I really had a sense of accomplishment knowing our C-17s were bringing essential supplies to the front lines and helping the troops on the ground,” said Capt. Steven Brown, one of the unit’s C-17 pilots. “It was tough to be away from loved ones for four months.” (Charleston report by MSgt. Paul Kilgallon)