While the US Army ordered its Louisiana-based soldiers to stay in Iraq, the Air Force said Saturday it would send 300 airmen home from Iraq and Afghanistan to handle emergencies on a Mississippi air base devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
The airmen will begin flying home during the next two weeks, said Air Force Capt. David Small, spokesman for U.S. Central Command Air Forces in Qatar. "While our focus remains on fighting the war on terrorism, taking care of people is a top priority," Peck said in a statement. "They can't effectively perform the mission if their heads and hearts are focused on the safety and welfare of their loved ones."
According to The AP, the group includes airmen scheduled to rotate home in September and others whose deployments will be cut short.
However, U.S. troops and Marines in Iraq won't have their deployments cut back. Army officials in Iraq and Washington have said National Guard troops from Louisiana and elsewhere on the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast will only be granted emergency leave if their family members are dead or wounded.
The decision to send Keesler-based airmen home was made by top Air Force officials with Peck's support.
U.S. military officials have said there are no plans for a large-scale shifting of U.S. troops from Afghanistan or Iraq to assist recovery efforts.
The commander of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Brigade Combat Team, based in Baghdad, had asked that his 3,700 soldiers be sent home a few weeks early to deal with the crisis.
Lt. Gen. John Vines, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, said Friday that only U.S. troops whose family members were injured or killed by the hurricane may be allowed to go home early. Others will have to stay in Iraq and finish their missions, he said.
