JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – As the nation celebrates Memorial Day, more than 180 citizen-Airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard's 176 Wing will depart Alaska for Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The largest 176 Wing deployment since 2003, the Airmen are primarily maintenance crews from the wing’s 176th Maintenance Group and rescue personnel from the wing’s three rescue units: HH-60 “Pave Hawk” helicopter pilots and crew from the 210th Rescue Squadron; HC-130 “Hercules” pilots and crew from the 211th; and pararescuemen and combat rescue officers from the 212th. Together with a handful of Expeditionary Combat Support personnel from other 176th Wing units, the deployers form a highly capable and versatile rescue package.

In Afghanistan, the rescuers will pursue their primary wartime mission of combat search-and-rescue. This often involves challenging casualty-evacuation missions — flying into “hot” combat zones, frequently under fire, to pull wounded coalition service members to safety and transport them to a treatment facility within one hour. The maintenance crews will support this vital work by keeping the rescuers’ planes and helicopters ready for flight at a moment’s notice.

The Airmen will depart from Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson over the course of several days. The largest single group of deployers will leave Memorial Day, May 28. It will be the wing’s second large-scale deployment from JBER since the Guard organization relocated there in February 2011 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process.

Since 1952, the 176 Wing has effectively served Alaskans at home and American interests abroad. It has supported large-scale deployments each year since 2003. The wing currently has more than 50 civil engineers, security personnel and other expeditionary combat Airman deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. One of the largest and busiest wings in the Air National Guard, the 176 Wing also provides alert rescue and air defense capabilities in support of the 11^th Air Force and Alaska NORAD Region.