Community welcomes deployers home Published May 19, 2015 By Senior Airman Daniel Phelps 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- A sea of people in patriotic colors waving signs and banners welcomed home more than 150 Citizen Airmen from a deployment in southwest Asia back to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia May 18 and 19.This was the second Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployment for the 94th AW since converting from a C-130 training mission to a combat coded wing in 2011. Upon their return to Dobbins, the deployed Citizen Airmen were greeted to hugs and tears from their friends and family. Many spouses were up holding signs for their Airmen to see saying, “Are you gonna kiss me or not!”Senior Airman James Bonilla, 94th Maintenance Squadron maintainer, was elated as he was greeted home to his new son.“I almost cried when I saw him,” Bonilla said. “I don’t want to put him down. I know I’m going to have to at some point, but I don’t want to.”When he first saw his wife Amanda waiting for him, she was dancing. “There are no words to describe this,” said Amanda. “It was surreal showing him our son. It’s better than any poster, this is the best gift.”After more than 30 years of service, Col. Brett Clark, 94th Airlift Wing commander, was still touched by the Citizen Airmen’s homecoming.“One of the greatest joys as a commander is seeing all of our guys return home from a deployment,” Clark said. “I even see infants in our deployed Airmen’s arms. There is no greater feeling than that.”During the deployment, the 94th Airlift Wing performed airlift or several distinguished visitors including John Boehner, U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, United States Central Command commander, according to Lt. Col. George Pelech, 94th Airlift Wing chief of safety.The team also had the chance to partake in Exercise Eager Lion, an annual exercise held in Jordan to assure U.S. support in the Middle East. Their role was to perform low-level tactical airlift operations delivering critical supplies for the warfighter, Pelech explained.The maintainers were stand outs during this deployment, Pelech said. They held a 99.7 percent reliability rate over those four months.According to officials in the 94th AW, a mission capable rate of 85 percent is usually what’s expected for the C-130.“These guys exceeded that,” Pelech said. “They did a phenomenal job.”The crew had training opportunities with other air forces. “We also supported the Iraqis by training them not only in the employment of C-130s, but also in air drops,” he said. “We also trained them in the aerial rigging of air-drop loads. They had no program before we showed up.”Aerial rigging is the process of preparing for the next load for the next air drop while in flight, explained Pete Kowalski, a retired loadmaster.The deployers had the pleasure of being treated to a hot meal of Georgia Bar-B-Que from a local Marietta restaurant when they stepped off the plane back home. “It’s so awesome being back,” said Staff Sgt. David Garritson, 94th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron avionics technician. “Having that BBQ waiting for us – it’s very much like home. This is such a great welcome back.”The Citizen Airmen said they were happy to be home and ready for life to return to normal.“I’m happy to be home,” Garritson said. “I’ve been looking forward to eating pizza.”
