445th Security Forces Squadron reservists home from deployment

  • Published
  • By Capt. Caroline Wellman
  • 445th Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Family, friends and the Ohio Patriot Guard Riders gathered at the Dayton International Airport Saturday, June 27, to welcome home 17 Airmen from the 445th Security Forces Squadron.

The Airmen returned from a 6-month deployment to Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq, where the Air Force Reserve has been providing the majority of the security forces supporting the installation, said Master Sgt. John Koehl, 445th SFS first sergeant.

Overall, the deployment was pretty pain-free, said Master Sgt. Bryan Cepluch, who was a squad leader while deployed.

"I think we all feel like we made a difference and that we're all glad to be back with our families," he said. "It certainly makes you appreciate what the Army is doing even more - we were gone six months, they're doing a year."

For Master Sgt. John Grice and Capt. David Moore, the homecoming was especially sweet. Each of them was able to hold a child for the first time. Sergeant Grice's son Ethan is now 4-months old, while Captain Moore's daughter Addison was born only days after he deployed in December.

Family members were also happy to see their loved ones, especially considering stand-still traffic on Interstate 70 threatened to cause some of them to miss the homecoming. However, a flight delay meant most families were able to reach the airport in advance of the returning Airmen.

"It feels better, it feels good," said Leslie Stout, wife of Staff Sgt. Timothy Stout, of having her husband back after months without him.

While deployed, the Airmen of the 445th SFS performed patrol duties and provided installation security during their daily, 12-hour shifts.

They also earned praise from 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron leadership, with two of them earning monthly awards. Tech. Sgt. Steven Durham was selected as the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Month in May while Senior Airman Joseph Easterling was selected as the Airman of the Month in May.

The security forces Airmen will remain on orders for more than a month in order to complete necessary in-processing and use leave they earned while activated.

The 445th Airlift Wing has about 100 Airmen deployed at any given time, about 75 percent of which are in Iraq or Afghanistan.