180 wing Reservists deploy for AEF Published Dec. 16, 2008 By 2nd Lt. Candice Allen 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- January will be the start of another busy year here. More than 180 Reservists are set to deploy beginning this month and through January 2009 for the Air Expeditionary Force cycle 7/8. "We have a lot of Reservists who will be deploying in support of AEF cycle 7/8, not only at downrange locations, but also on stateside missions," said Col. William Flanigan, 446th Airlift Wing commander. AEF cycle 7/8 will mark the first time the 36th and 86th Aerial Port Squadrons deploy together into the war zone. The combined aerial port squadrons will be performing transportation functions ranging from unloading cargo to loading passengers in Iraq. "This will be our largest deployment since 1996," said Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Dietz, air transportation manager for the 86th APS. "For a lot of Reservists, this will be their first time deploying to Iraq with the aerial port." In addition to the aerial ports deploying, the aeromedical evacuation and aeromedical staging squadrons and the services flight will be deploying in January, with the majority of these Reservists performing their mission in Iraq. For the AES, some Reservists will be swapping out with other 446th AES Reservists in AEF 7/8. In December, a group is set to return, while the other team deploys with a week of overlap for training. The AES teams will coordinate the medical care and transfer of wounded servicemembers from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan to Germany. Additionally, the ASTS will provide medical professionals to operate the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility in Balad, Iraq, the largest CASF in Iraq.