Nellis security forces Airmen return from Iraq Published Dec. 12, 2006 Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Approximately 70 members of the 99th Security Forces Group will return home here at 5:15 p.m. today after serving an eight-month deployment in Iraq. The returning Airmen will be reunited with family, friends and their fellow comrade, Airman 1st Class Brandon Byers, whose tour ended early when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device while on a patrol mission in Iraq, Oct. 16. Airman Byers, who served as a security forces gunner during his deployment, received shrapnel wounds to his left leg, wrist and hand when the IED was triggered. He was manning a .50-caliber machine gun in the Humvee's turret. Airman Byers was awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he sustained in the incident. While deployed, the Nellis security forces Airmen provided perimeter security and "outside-the-wire" patrols for the main internment facility in Iraq. Before relocating to Iraq, the Airmen spent 60-days undergoing combat-skills training that included convoy operations, improvised explosive device detection, hand-to-hand combat and detainee training.
