Fairchild airmen headed for Iraq
About 130 Fairchild Air Force Base airmen deployed Wednesday morning, including Col. Scott Hanson, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander.
Most will be serving for four months in Iraq at either the Baghdad International Airport or Balad Air Base, north of Baghdad.
Those deployed were mostly a young lot. One airman toted a teddy bear dressed in matching desert camouflage. Senior officers hugged others just before they climbed a staircase to board the plane.
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris shook each airman’s hand.
They join 350 Fairchild airmen already serving overseas.
Their missions are diverse. Some will maintain heating and air conditioning systems; others will guard convoys or escort Iraqi civilian laborers on the base. But those interviewed Wednesday said they shared a common purpose – making Iraq and the world safer.
Senior Airman Shakib Rahman, 21, was heading to Baghdad International Airport to maintain the liquid fuel system.
“I’m quite excited. I’m happy to fight for freedom and serve my country,” said Rahman.
The night before leaving he spent quite a bit of time on the telephone with his family in California. “My mom just said, ‘Be careful and stay safe.’ All my uncles said, ‘Keep your head down,’ ” Rahman said.
The airmen recently underwent combat survival training to prepare them for the situations they may face in Iraq.
Airman 1st Class Ryan Earl, 21, will be escorting Iraqi citizens working at Balad Airbase.
“They need to be escorted at all times so they don’t get into any places they shouldn’t,” said Earl, who is from Indiana.
He doesn’t speak Arabic now but said he anticipates he’ll learn some during his time in Iraq.
Hanson, the last person to board the plane, has been in charge of Fairchild since July.
On Tuesday he said goodbye to his wife and two daughters, dropping his 10-year-old off at school before heading to the hangar to meet his airmen.
It’s unusual for a base commander to be deployed, said 1st Lt. Ethan Stoker, who serves in the base’s public affairs office.
But Hanson said everyone in the Air Force must be ready and willing to go overseas.
Lt. Col. David Piech, commander of the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron, was also deployed.
Though Fairchild almost always has some airmen overseas, Hanson said it’s unique to have so many deployed at one time – about 15 percent of the wing.