Decatur based Illinois Army National Guard Airlift Detachment home from Africa

SPRINGFIELD, IL (04/24/2015)(readMedia)-- Approximately 10 Illinois Army National Guardsmen who served in Africa with Detachment 36, Operational Support Airlift based in Decatur, Illinois have returned home.

The unit mobilized in July 2014 and deployed to Djibouti, Africa, for approximately nine months.

Detachment 36 flew Beechcraft C-12 Huron aircraft to conduct operational airlift support missions in seven different countries in eastern Africa. Their mission included transporting more than 600 personnel and more than 75,000 pounds of cargo as directed by the commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The unit conducted more than 200 missions, encompassing more than 1,000 hours of aircraft flight time and covering more than 250,000 nautical miles.

The eight pilots and two flight operations non-commissioned officers returned home individually throughout the month of April. The unit will be formarlly recognized for its deployment during a Freedom Salute ceremony sometime this summer.

Detachment 36 previously mobilized in October 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.