The Duluth-based 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard will head back to Iraq for its third major deployment in the past four years.
On Friday, Guard officials said 320 members of the unit will deploy, with most bound for Balad Air Force Base in Iraq, starting this month. The largest contingent will head overseas in November.
Their deployments will last between 30 days and four months, but most expect to be away for the holidays.
The deployment will include pilots, mechanics, support personnel, the unit's F-16 fighter jets and even the tools used to keep the aircraft running.
It's possible the Air Force could extend the deployment past January, Guard officials said Friday.
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While some members of the unit have been sent on various deployments over the past year, this will be the largest group sent overseas since the unit returned from Balad Air Force base in 2007. The 148th also sent a large contingent to the Iraq war in 2005.
In Iraq, the unit's F-16s and crews will be available for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions in support of ground troops.
The 148th Bulldogs has more than 1,050 members, with 450 full-time and600 traditional part-time National Guard members. A large contingent of the unit will remain in Duluth with F-16s for its usual duty of air alert national defense, as well as training and support of other worldwide Air Force operations.
Chief Master Sgt. Steven Adolfs of Duluth, an aircraft maintenance superintendent, will be deploying for the third time in support of the Iraq war.
"We'll be doing the same job over there we do here, only under different circumstances,'' Adolfs said, adding that the combat zone usually means 12-hour shifts for six days per week.
Adolfs said members of the unit probably will spend the holidays away from family and friends, but that most have been preparing for the deployment.
"It's going to affect Thanksgiving and definitely Christmas for a lot of Duluth families,'' he said. "But we'll manage. We have a job to do and we'll do it."
This year, 413 members of the 148th have deployed to 10 countries for assignments with other units.
