Airmen deployed to Indian Ocean base

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - Dozens of airmen were deployed from Westover Air Reserve Base Thursday morning on a support mission to the Indian Ocean.

The airmen left Westover aboard a C-5 cargo jet, which is full of supplies. Their destination is a base on an undisclosed island in the Indian Ocean, which operates in support of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

Departing airmen like SrA Frank Schustal shared their feelings about leaving with 22News. "I'm going to miss my wife, going to miss all my friends at home, but they all know what I'm doing," Scustal said.

"You're just kind of going in it blinded, but it's also exciting, too because you get an opportunity to go somewhere that otherwise you would never have the opportunity to go to, so I think it's a blessing in itself," Samantha Soto of the Unit Deployment Sector said.

The airmen will help in the set-up of the forward-operating base.