WEBVTT

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- [Joshua] It didn't take long.

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Actually, it was seven years

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for the 968th Expeditionary
Airborne Air Control Squadron

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to hit a major milestone.

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- We've flown 50,000 combat hours

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since we first became a squadron.

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Before we were kind of a rotational,

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but since we've been in the
968th, it's 50,000 combat hours.

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It's kind of a big deal
because it's a lotta sorties.

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It's a lot of time spent
at the AOR Airborne.

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It's a lotta gas pass.

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It's a lotta sorties control.

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It's a lot of times,

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putting support in the C-facts objectives.

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But more than that,

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it's a lot of time spent
away from families.

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I'm proud of the folks that
are down here doing this stuff.

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We wanted to mark the milestone.

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When you know that you're
doing something important

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and you can contribute to
a part of the larger team

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here in SIMCOM,

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those sacrifices, while
they're still noted,

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they're still in context of the big things

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that you're doing.

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Well, it's kinda neat
to be here at this time,

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but I'm just one of maybe
seven guys that have been here

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during this time.

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So, it just happens to be my turn.

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Somebody will probably be the 100,000th,

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so we'll leave some
turnover notes for that guy.

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- Oh I think it's absolutely huge, right?

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Proud to be a part of
the milestone out here.

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This is my first time out
to Op Inherent Resolve,

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but the fact that we've got
such a strong partnership.

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We just celebrated 40 years
with you guys in Tinker,

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but to be here along every
step of the way, it's huge.

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But, there's nothing like
coming out to do the job

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to bring folks together
in a common purpose.

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- We would take several
different squadrons home

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through this environment,
and when they're not here,

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there is an extensive amount
of training that goes on.

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So, when this squadron leaves,

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the next one will come in to replace them.

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So right now, they are
doing a lot of spin up

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and preparation, building their crews,

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and learning how to work together

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so that when they are out
here, they are a cohesive unit,

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and operate very efficiently.

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I may sound a little,
this is sappy to say,

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but really I feel like with deploying,

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this is the easy part.

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The folks that are back
home, the families,

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I mean, we have so many
families that are back home

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and they're maintaining
everything without us.

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Both our military families and our units

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that are continuing to run
things while we are here,

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and then also our personal families

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that are continuing to
make the day-to-day happen

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without us there to support.

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They're the ones who
are really working hard.

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- It's a major milestone for us

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because it says that
I've been doing the job

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that we're trained to do.

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We get trained back home

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and we fly when we're at home station,

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doing training missions.

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But everything we do back
home is to come out here

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and support this mission out here,

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whatever that mission is
because it's continued to change

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over the years that the
968th has been here,

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and we've supported missions

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throughout the entire Middle East.

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The thing you learn most
about coming out here

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and flying in combat missions

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is what you can handle and
what you can deal with.

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It makes you a stronger person.

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Each hour that's spent in
the air in a combat zone

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is an hour away from your family,

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an hour away from your kids, your parents,

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missed anniversaries, missed Christmases.

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And knowing that you can
make it through that,

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it speaks to the level of adversity

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that you, as a person, can handle,

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and that us as a group,
in the 968th, can endure.

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- [Joshua] Reporting
from Al Dhafra Air Base,

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I'm Technical Sergeant Joshua Williams.