NEW PHILA NATIVE FIGHTS WORLD'S WAR ON DRUGS

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA - When someone hears
"deployment" nowadays, Iraq or Afghanistan most likely comes to mind.

This isn't the case for New Philadelphia native U.S. Air Force Airman
1st Class Zachary Armstrong, assigned to the 673d Security Forces Squadron.

He recently returned from a six-month deployment to Curacao, an island
in the Caribbean, in support of the drug interdiction.

Since May 1999, the United States has operated out of Curacao, a
country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, combating
narco-terrorism. Previously, the United States flew these missions
from Howard Air Force Base in Panama.

Today, a U.S. military presence of approximately 250 service members,
ranging from security forces to pilots and maintainers, work to halt
the flow of illegal drugs into the United States by supporting the
region's multinational effort to combat narco-terrorism.

Armstrong and three other Airmen from JBER deployed in July, where
they joined a team of about 20 other security forces members from
around the Air Force.

On the normal day-to day basis, Armstrong said he was responsible for
flight line security and guarding the aircraft stationed at the
forward operating location, located at Hato International Airport.

They were responsible for an end section that includes four buildings
and six aircraft slots for an E-3 Sentry, Navy reconnaissance jets and
KC-135 tankers.

He believes the mission they supported is an important one. While
there, his efforts supported stopping $2.4 billion worth of drugs from
being trafficked.

Like any deployment, Armstrong and the other airmen conditioned
themselves in order to prepare, including training for worse case
scenarios. He said being picked for a duty assignment such as this is
a once-in-a-career opportunity, and he felt very privileged to be
chosen. Armstrong also said he feels it is important to have a
security forces presence anywhere in the world where the U.S. has troops.

Although this deployment wasn't in as hostile of an environment as
Iraq or Afghanistan, Armstrong said it didn't make being away from
home any easier. Being away from family and friends and out of the
normal comfort zone is still difficult, no matter where a service
member is deployed, he said.

Armstrong joined the Air Force more than a year ago with the
intentions to better himself, and said he has always been interested
in the military. He said he plans on staying in the Air Force and
retraining to join the U.S. Air Force's Tactical Air Control Party.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a joint war-fighting installation
made up of 12,000 airmen and soldiers supporting and defending U.S.
interests in the Pacific theater and around the world.