120th airmen home from deployment

When Staff Sgt. Stephan Crass walked out of the terminal at the Great Falls airport on Tuesday, 9-year-old Callie raced into his arms, followed closely by her brother, Colton.

The Missoula police officer had just returned from a six-month deployment with the 120th Security Forces Squadron of the 120th Airlift Wing.

Crass and 20 other airmen operated in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Staff Sgt. Jason Spring returned Tuesday evening from his first deployment and said he and the other airmen provided law enforcement patrols, airbase ground security for flying missions and security for movement from secure to nonsecure areas.

The Great Falls resident has been with the 120th for six years and was greeted at the airport by his family. One of the boys was excited to tell Spring about movies they got while he was gone.

Colton Crass, 11, said he was “so excited” to have his dad home and he was going to “hog him all to myself.”

Kami Crass is a nurse in Missoula and said the family used FaceTime frequently to keep in touch during deployment.

Since National Guard families are scattered all over Montana it was a bit harder to bring the families together during the deployment, said Ashley Davidson, one of the units volunteer contacts.

Davidson said she and the three other volunteer contacts keep the families updated and check in with spouses and children to make sure they’re doing OK.

As each of the eight airmen who returned Tuesday afternoon, other members of the 120th clapped, families threw their arms in the air and hugged their airmen.

Some families had posters, flowed and stuffed animals.

More airmen are expected to return Wednesday.