NY Air National Guard members return to Stratton ANGB from Antarctica Wednesday morning, Feb. 28

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An LC-130 “Skibird” with the 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron takes off from Williams Field, Antarctica, for a local training mission Nov. 9, 2017.

STRATTION AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCOTIA, NY (02/27/2018) (readMedia)-- Twenty-two Airmen with the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing will be returning home following another successful deployment in support of Operation Deep Freeze.

WHO: 22 Citizen Airmen of the Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing

WHAT: Airmen return from supporting Operation Deep Freeze following the Wing's 30th season of support on board a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York.

WHEN: 9 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. (Aircraft will land at 10 but media must be in place earlier.)

WHERE: 109th Airlift Wing, 1 Air National Guard Rd., Scotia, NY, 12302

Members of the media MUST contact the 109th Airlift Wing Public Affairs office by calling (518) 344-2423 or by calling or texting (518) 701-4312 no later than 4 p.m. today, Feb 27 in order to secure access to the facility.

Media Opportunity:

Interviews will be available with the Airmen returning home as well as Airmen prior to their return to talk about the 109th's involvement in ODF this season. There will also be an opportunity to obtain imagery of the aircraft landing. Time has been allotted for interviews and to obtain imagery before the Airmen return home.

Media wishing to obtain coverage prior to 8:15 a.m. are able to set up outside of the gate in front of the sign and static display.

Background:

Throughout the season, which began in October, six LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft and about 350 Airmen deployed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The Wing provided five months of support of United States Antarctic research efforts and completed 120 missions within Antarctica by flying an estimated 2,300 researchers and support staff plus about 2.7 million pounds of cargo and 135,000 gallons of fuel to research stations across the continent.

The unique capabilities of the ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft make it the only one of its kind in the U.S. military, able to land on snow and ice. The primary mission of the 109th AW is to provide airlift within Antarctica, flying to various remote locations from McMurdo Station. Crews transported scientists, support, fuel, supplies, medical supplies and more throughout the season.

Col. Michele Kilgore, who took command of the wing in October, took her first trip to the ice earlier this month, and said she was impressed by the job her Airmen do on a regular basis.

"I was able to see first-hand the amazing mission I get to be a part of now," she said. "The work the Airmen of this wing do makes me proud to be their leader, and to see them doing it in such austere conditions is just astounding."