210908-Z-DI861-0074

Airmen from the 123rd Contingency Response Group return to the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 8, 2021, after completing an 18-day mission at Volk Field, Wis., to receive Afghan evacuees arriving aboard military and civilian aircraft. The Airmen processed 87 aircraft carrying more than 11,000 evacuees as part of Operation Allies Refuge and the follow-on mission, Operation Allies Welcome. The evacuees were then sent to nearby Fort McCoy, Wis. 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. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Joshua Horton)