Members Of 138th Head Back To Iraq

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa's Air National Guard is back on its way to Iraq.  More than 200 service members left Tulsa on Thursday afternoon.

It was a difficult day, as you might imagine, for family and friends of Tulsa's 138th Fighter Wing.  Loved ones gathers in the sloppy weather to say goodbye.

A care-free moment came for the children of the 138th, as they played away their worries in a Green Country downpour.  Dozens of family, friends, and loved ones met to say farewell to several members of the 138th Fighter Wing.

The 200 plus servicemen and women are off to Iraq for a two-month tour.           

Lauren Murray has been through this before, only without her 11-month-old daughter, who turns one on Sunday.

"We're really sad about it. Daddy's going to miss the first birthday," said Lauren Murray.

Thursday's deployment is a familiar scene at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base.  It was the ninth deployment for the 138th since 1996 and the third since the war in Iraq began in 2003.

"I'm nervous. I'm nervous for his safety and I'm so proud of him so, it's bittersweet. I'm so proud of him. I'm sad.  We just hope he comes home safely," said Lauren Murray.

The 138th is made up of F-16 fighter jets and helps support ground personnel in combat.  Loved ones say despite the distance, their heroes will always be close.

"I pray a lot and I try to put him in God's hands. That's the only way you can do it is through prayer, a higher power taking care of your child," said Gail Metcalf, mother of an Airman.

The military has set up video conferencing at the air base for family members to stay in touch with their airmen.