Kentucky Air Guard completes mission to receive 11,000 Afghan evacuees

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Dale Greer
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Airmen from the 123rd Contingency Response Group returned to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base here Wednesday after completing an 18-day mission at Volk Field, Wisconsin, to receive more than 11,000 Afghan evacuees arriving aboard military and civilian aircraft.

The Airmen processed 88 planes carrying evacuees as part of Operation Allies Refuge and the follow-on mission, Operation Allies Welcome. The evacuees were then sent to nearby Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, for temporary housing.

The Wisconsin operation is part of a larger effort that includes locations in multiple states. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities, in permanent or temporary structures, as quickly as possible.

This initiative provides Afghan personnel essential support at secure locations outside Afghanistan.