At Ease - Wisconsin National Guard Department of Military Affairs

Story by Senior Airman Ryan Kuntze
Photos by Staff Sgt. Nathan Wallin
128th Air Refueling Wing
Thirty-two members of the Security Forces Squadron, 128th
Air Refueling Wing, departed for Afghanistan in early July. This is
the squadron’s third deployment in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom and the largest deployment for the squadron in recent years.
Securing mission-critical flight line areas is job one for the
deployed element, but another frequent mission is mobile security
for individual aircraft and assigned air crew. As an additional task,
members carry out security escort operations for personnel whose
duty assignments take them off base.
Support for the deployed members is very generous, with
families and the military community providing an essential link to
those home experiences that can, at times, seem too distant while
overseas. The 128th Family Support Program maintains constant and
courteous telephone and email contact with stateside family members.
Moreover, Family Support personnel were proactive in giving calling
cards to deployed members and providing spouses with a list of
volunteers willing to mitigate the stresses of everyday household
maintenance.
All deployed Security Forces personnel returned in early 2009. n
Opposite Page: Ellen Swanson waves good-bye to her son, Senior
Airman Travis Swanson, at the 128th Security Forces send-off ceremony
in July.
Above: Senior Airman Matthew Schmidt holds his niece, Emma
Grace Staples, while she makes a call before the 128th’s send-off
ceremony.
Left: Senior Airman Travis Swanson gives a lift to, Lindsay Sobczak,
after returning from his deployment in February.
Below: Family members are ready to welcome home their Airman at
the welcome home ceremony.
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