Beginning on October 9, 2001 the US Air Force formed up an Air Expeditionary Force, the 28th Air Expeditionary Wing, to fly and fight from Diego Garcia.  These pages show some of the operations they and the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing conducted during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.  Operations concluded 4 years and 11 months later, on August 15, 2006.

A BRIEF GEOPOLITICAL LESSON ON "WHY ME?  WHY DIEGO?"
USAF OPERATIONS from Diego Garcia:  B-1 Ops;  B-2 Ops;  B-52 Ops
BOMB DUMPS & "SIGNED" BOMBS
SQUADRON AND WING PATCHES
LEAFLETS DROPPED ON AFGHANISTAN BY B-1s & B-52s
THE FINAL FLIGHT OF ICECUBE 44 (and her crew's rescue by the USS Russell)

RELATED PAGES:

A Very Special Report on the Day-to-Day Doings on Diego Garcia!
NSF, DIEGO GARCIA, EARNS THE MERITORIOUS UNIT CITATION!
PERSONAL MESSAGES SENT TO THE ENEMY

...the Boys and Girls in Blue are still doing their jobs...(in 2004)...

War on terrorism keeps reservists overseas
by Master Sgt. Jessica D'Aurizio, 917th Wing Public Affairs

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- America's war on terrorism has been an unusual conflict.  The enemy is not an army of soldiers, but a confederation of zealots from several countries.  Even the high-tech bombs differ from those dropped during previous conflicts.
     But at least one thing remains the same:  men and women on the ground are needed to keep planes flying.  That is especially true of the deployed B-52 Stratofortress aircraft maintainers from Air Force Reserve Command's 93rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., who continue to support the war.
     "When I was first deployed (to a forward operating location) last September, I had only 30 minutes to pack," said Master Sgt. Dennis, the 93rd BS production supervisor.  (Last names of deployed reservists are withheld for security reason.)  "This time I had four months to prepare myself and my family for my absence."
     In September, the 93rd BS, the only B-52 unit in AFRC, received a war-tasking order and within days deployed reservists and aircraft to a forward-operating area in support of the war on terrorism.  During this deployment, they integrated with active-duty people to form an aerospace expeditionary force.
     After a brief visit home, members of the 93rd BS redeployed in May to continue their patrol of the skies over Afghanistan, awaiting the call on where and when to drop their bombs.
     "I wish I'd been here during the first rotation when they were dropping more bombs, but people keep telling me to be careful what you wish for," said Master Sgt. Eddie, a 93rd BS weapons loader.
     So far the B-52 crews have dropped more than 14 million pounds of munitions, most of it during the first three months of the war on terrorism.  From September to January, 93rd BS crews flew 88 combat missions, dropping 1,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions; 1,600 general-purpose bombs; and 800 cluster bombs.
     "We were definitely a lot busier the last time I was here, but we still have a job to do," said Tech. Sgt Bob, a 93rd BS crew chief.  "Right now, boredom seems to be our biggest enemy, but we keep our minds focused on the mission."  (Courtesy of AFRC News Service)