1st ESPCS returns from deployment

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – One of the many signs held while waiting for a returning loved one lays discarded on the flightline while families are reunited as the 1st Expeditionary Space Control Squadron return from southwest Asia Dec. 19, 2014. The squadron is a 21st Space Wing expeditionary unit that has been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since 2009 with the mission of providing space situational awareness and defensive space control operations in support of U.S. Central Command. The squadron’s operations provided around the clock protection to U.S. and allied satellite communication links. The homecoming marked the end of a successful five-year mission supported by more than 150 men and women of the 21st Space Wing, and was a testament to the vital role space operations play in providing global support to the warfighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Rose Gudex)