Iowa Guard fighter wing activated for Federal duty

Several hundred more Iowans are being called to duty overseas. The Iowa Air National Guard says the 132nd Fighter Wing, based in Des Moines, has been activated as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The wing flies F-16 fighter jets and there are about 400 pilots, mechanics and ground support crew which the Guard says were deployed this week. Their specific destination hasn’t been announced and they’ll be gone somewhere between 30 and 120 days. It marks the seventh time the wing has been deployed in recent years on missions that have included patrolling the skies over Iraq, Kuwait and Turkey.