Battle Creek Enquire wrote:
January 17, 2008:
The first of seven A-10s from the Battle Creek Air National Guard and the Maryland Air National Guard Unit, expected to land today at W.K. Kellogg Airport, arrived at 3:56 p.m. Four were on the ground at 4:15 p.m. and three more are en route, officially concluding a two-month military deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Two more planes are expected to arrive later this week. They temporarily were grounded in Italy due to mechanical difficulties, according to Maj. Robert DeCoster, a spokesman for the 110th Fighter Wing.
January 18, 2008:
[...] All four of the Battle Creek planes returned without difficulty, but one of the Maryland planes had a mechanical problem. As a result, two of the jets and the support aircraft with 40 airmen have to wait for a part before they finish the trip, expected Sunday. [...] "It's great to have them back, although we won't be really happy until we get the other two A-10s back," Base Cmdr. Col. Rodger Seidel said. [...]
Sounds like there were only nine aircraft deployed, including four BCs. Already identified by falcon on October 3, 2007, were also only nine:
79-0087/MD, 78-0705/MD, 78-0717/MD, 78-0637/MD and 78-0683/MD
81-0975/BC, 81-0994/BC, 80-0257/BC and 80-0255/BC