Approximately 400 members from the 148th Fighter Wing will be honored during a departure ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4 in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center auditorium.

Unit members from the 148 FW are scheduled to deploy to 12 locations around the world for varying time frames within a 120-day window of commitment in support of Air Expeditionary Force commanders. The window for the 148 FW to be on ‘on-deck’ is January through May. Depending on mission needs unit members could deploy for all or part of that time.

In addition to honoring deploying airmen, the ceremony will recognize unit members who deployed in the last year and those already deployed in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and their families. This is the second time in the 148 FW's history to deploy an aviation package to an active combat zone. In this case, an “aviation package” includes F-16C aircraft, pilots, and maintenance and support personnel.

Members of the media are invited to attend the ceremony at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN 55802. The auditorium will be available for setup after 12:45 p.m. Attendance is reserved for invited family and friends of deploying airmen, due to the capacity of the room, the general public is unable to attend.

For more information, including b-roll, photos, podcast, and unit data, visit http://www.MinnesotaNationalGuard.org/units/148fw/press_release.php