729th Airlift Squadron Being Welcomed Home To March Air Reserve

A U.S. Air Force transport squadron stationed in Asia for the last seven years will be returning to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside next week, marking the official end of its overseas assignment.

The 729th Airlift Squadron and its C-17 Globemasters is scheduled to land at the airfield on Monday morning, with friends, family and supporters on hand for a welcome home ceremony.

"The men and women of the 729 are proud of the dedication, sacrifice and effort they and their predecessors have given so selflessly to the citizens of the United States of America and the world," according to an Air Force statement.

Though reservists attached to the unit have rotated in and out of service over the years, the squadron has maintained operations in southwest Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East, according to March public affairs.

Officials said that during its years-long mission, the squadron completed 13,657 sorties, carried 107,820 passengers, transported 19,774 wounded troops -- more than half of whom were in stretchers -- and hauled 3,716 vehicles thousands of miles.

According to base officials, the unit moved 356,152 million pounds of cargo during its deployment.--City News Service