Senior Airman Zachary Smith embraces his girlfriend, Britta Berg, just after stepping off of the C-130 Hercules he was assigned to during a deployment. Seventeen members of the 30th Airlift Squadron, 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, returned Dec. 28, 2011, to the Wyoming Air National Guard Base, Cheyenne, Wyo. The unit's deployment was shortened from three months to just over 30 days due to a draw down in forces for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Airmen were due back on Christmas, but a mechanical problem with the plane forced an extended stay in Germany. The 30th Airlift Squadron is an active associate squadron, comprised of all active duty Air Force operationally assigned to the Wyoming Air National Guard.