CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE: SAVING LIVES AND DELIVERING FREEDOM

Many of us rejoiced at the news that three American military contractors were freed from their Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) captors just two days before Americans celebrated Independence Day. What you may not have known was that those three Americans were flown home by a crew from Charleston Air Force Base on a C-17 Globemaster III. Charleston is home to the largest C-17 base in the world and is responsible for supporting U.S. activities in South America. Those planes, and more importantly the individuals who support them, deliver hope and freedom with every mission. When asked about some of the things they missed from home during their years in captivity, the men mentioned cookies, soda and pizza. Cpt. Heidi Bucheit from the 15th Airlift Squadron just happens to have a long-standing tradition of making home-baked cookies for her crew, and her fellow crew members were able to scrounge up some frozen pizzas and soda, so the Americans feasted on some of their favorites as they made their way back home. We say thank you, and we’re proud of the following Team Charleston heroes: Capt Heidi Bucheit, Capt Jon Fruge, Capt John (Jace) McClelland, Airman Jason Golec, Airman First Class Wes Spring, TSgt Brad Hudson, SSgt Bryan Ball, Senior Airman Adam Konstanzer, SSgt Matt Pease, and SSgt Matt Perez.

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