28 National Guard airmen to be deployed
Jan 24, 2014, 6:06 PM | Updated: Jan 25, 2014, 5:06 pm
PHOENIX — Twenty-eight National Guard airmen from the 161st Air Refueling Wing Security Forces Squadron have been ordered to deploy to help fight the war on terror.
“I’m excited to go, it’s my first time being deployed,” said 22-year-old Airman Brandon Baldenegro. “My biggest concern is that my family and friends will worry about me,” he said.
For airmen like Baldenegro and five others, this will be their first deployment. “They go through a lot of training so they’re ready to go like the rest of us,” said Staff Sergeant Nicholas Faye. “But I will share past experiences with them and show them the way,” he added.
The brave men and women are headed to Southwest Asia on a six-month mobilization to provide security for U.S. armed forces overseas.
More than 100 Arizona National Guard Soldiers and airmen are still serving on federal active duty overseas, and more than 10,000 Arizona Guard members have been called to federal active service since Sept. 11, 2001.
