AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar — An air unit ended its mission Friday after transporting troops all through the Center East over twenty years of fight.
The Air Power’s 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron cased its colours throughout a deactivation ceremony in Qatar.
It was on the forefront of fight airlift throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Daniel Naske, the unit’s commander, stated on the ceremony.
The deactivation of the unit comes because the U.S. has lowered its Center East presence, although the army continues to help accomplice forces in Iraq and elsewhere.
The 816th, which began in World Struggle II as a bomber squadron, was reactivated in 2006, in keeping with the unit.
Tech. Sgt. Stewart Gross, a loadmaster assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, prepares for an airdrop above U.S. Central Command’s space of duty, Oct. 21, 2021. The squadron, which simply deactivated, was chargeable for delivering cargo and passengers to U.S. and accomplice bases within the area. (Daniel Hernandez/U.S. Air Power)
Airmen unload munitions from a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 6, 2021. (Joseph Choose/U.S. Air Power)
Service members unload provides from an Air Power C-17 Globemaster III throughout a humanitarian support mission at Sukkur Airport, Pakistan, Sept. 11, 2022. The help mission to Pakistan was one of many final missions for members of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which deactivated Sept. 30. (Isaac Backyard/U.S. Air Power)
A U.S. Army satellite tv for pc transportable terminal, towed by a tactical car, drives down a C-17 Globemaster III ramp at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, Might 16, 2022. The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which usually flew such cargo missions, was simply deactivated. (Patrick Evenson/U.S. Air Power)
Its C-17 Globemaster III transport planes delivered provides to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, with 106,000 sorties flown and greater than 3 billion kilos of cargo delivered, the unit stated.
The 816th airlifted some 124,000 civilians from Kabul, Afghanistan, throughout evacuations final yr.
Most just lately, the unit helped ship greater than 1.5 million kilos of humanitarian provides to Pakistan after heavy rains flooded a 3rd of the nation.
“A majority of the stuff you see (in theater), the 816th moved it,” stated Airman 1st Class Benjamin Longyear, a loadmaster who labored on efforts to deliver support to Pakistan, stated after the ceremony.
The 816th shall be changed by the eighth Expeditionary Airlift Squadron.
The brand new unit would be the first C-17A unit deployed below the service’s new Power Era mannequin, which was launched in 2021 and prepares items to deploy in a number of phases over 24 months.
Airmen assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing load an M1A2 Abrams tank a airplane assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Aug. 27, 2022. (Matthew Plew/U.S. Air Power)
Senior Airman Nicole Snowden, an 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster, goes via a preflight guidelines July 12, 2022, at Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar. (Michael Kelly/U.S. Air Power)
Service members load provides right into a U.S. Air Power C-17A Globemaster III plane in assist of a humanitarian mission to Pakistan from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Sep. 14, 2022. (Dana Tourtellotte/U.S. Air Power)
