EAST GRANBY, Conn. – The Connecticut National Guard will host members of the 103rd Airlift Wing, 103rd Air Control Squadron (ACS) and the 1943rd Contingency Contracting Team for a Welcome Home Ceremony on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby.
What: Welcome Home Ceremony for 103rd Air Control Squadron, 103rd Airlift Wing, 1943rd Contingency Contracting Team
Who: Over 200 airmen, soldiers and their families, CTNG leadership
Where: Bradley Air National Guard Base, 161 Rainbow Rd. East Granby, CT
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, April 2, 2022
Visuals: Formations of Airmen/Soldiers, Military Band, Remarks, Award Presentation
RSVP: Mr. Tim Koster, (860) 937-7262 or timothy.r.koster.civ@army.mil
The 103rd Air Control Squadron deployed 99 Airmen throughout the United States Air Force Central Command Area of Responsibility. They deployed to locations in Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom Sentinel, and the Combined Defense of the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, they supported Operation Allies Refuge, the largest exfiltration and repatriation mission in history, directly assisting 124,000 Afghan refugees in 16 days.
A command and control unit, the men and women of the 103rd ACS were tasked with the responsibility to detect, track, identify, and control airborne platforms throughout Central Command’s area of responsibility. Maintaining and fusing high-level radar, radio, and data link sensors into a single recognizable air picture, the 103rd ACS executed its mission in a theater of operations spanning more than 1 million square miles.
Separately, the 103rd Airlift Wing deployed over 100 Airmen in support of a variety of operations around the globe for approximately six months.
The 1943rd Contingency Contracting Team is a small unit of the Connecticut Army National Guard that deployed to Kuwait from January to October 2021. There they provided contracting in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and acquisition of food and life support to Operation Allies Refuge.
“I am very delighted to welcome the members of the 103rd Airlift Wing, 103rd Air Control Squadron, and 1943rd Contingency Contracting Team back home to Connecticut after many months away on deployment,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “They’ve represented our state with honor and dignity, and I thank each of them on a job well done. I also thank all of their families, who undoubtedly had to make many sacrifices while their loved ones were deployed.”
“Thank you to the brave men and women of the 103rd Airlift Wing, 103rd Air Control Squadron, and 1943rd Contingency Contracting Team for their sacrifices and service,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “Now, after many months away from their families and loved ones, we are all so proud to welcome you home. Thank you for your service, and all that you have done for our great state and country.”
“The Connecticut National Guard deployed more people in the past year than it has in a decade. The same is true for the entire Air National Guard and Army National Guard across the 54 states and territories,” said Maj. Gen. Francis J. Evon Jr., Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard. “I’m incredibly proud of the work these Airmen and Soldiers performed in supporting U.S. security objectives and humanitarian contributions to vulnerable Afghans as part of Operation Allies Refuge, getting them to safety and providing for their wellbeing along the way. I thank their families and friends who kept day-to-day life moving forward so our Guardsmen and women could focus on their mission at hand.”