Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Airlift Wing are heading to the Persian Gulf region.
The National Guard says 70 airmen and two C-130 aircraft leave today, including air crew members, maintenance troops and support staff. The deploying airmen will operate from an undisclosed air base in southwest Asia, flying troops and cargo missions as part of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. More than 14,000 Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen have mobilized since nine-eleven, and about 400 troops are currently deployed.