Crown Pt. Nat'l Guard officer returns home after deployment

CROWN POINT | A Crown Point resident and Air National Guard member has returned home from a round of overseas deployments. "You know, the thing is, I would go back there tomorrow if I could," said Crown Point resident Master Sgt. John Bezon, a noncommissioned officer in charge of air transportation assigned to the 158th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "It was an absolutely awesome bonding experience between the people that work for me and myself. I felt like their dad. It was a great experience." Working alongside New York Air National Guardsmen from the 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia, New York, Bezon (himself a New Yorker) was the only "Green Mountain Boy" assigned to al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, approximately 140 miles west of Baghdad. Mobilizing in June 2020, Bezon was in theater from October 2020 to April 2021. In March of this year, Bezon said he experienced a milestone moment and was cited as a proven leader under fire, evacuating nine military and two foreign nationals during an enemy rocket attack. "I supervised 14 personnel in Iraq's busiest port, airlifted 8,500 tons of cargo in 1,206 missions, enabling 2,000 combat sorties… We got rocketed," said Bezon. "We had times where we had to get into the bunkers. We had to deal with [human remains] when we were over there. It was definitely not your average deployment." Missions such as Bezon's averaged six months, with Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing deployed in small groups to multiple locations across the globe in support of U.S. Air Force Central Command, U.S. Air Force Africa Command, and U.S. Air Force European Command. "I accomplished my mission on a daily basis," said Bezon about his specialized material handling equipment training. "Of course, [in Vermont] we don't have cargo planes. But in Iraq, we do that job every single day." The deployment cycles are part of the Air National Guard's Reserve Component Period, known as the RCP cycle of deployments. Upon their return from their overseas assignments, the Guard responded with what intangible skills and experiences they were bringing back home. "It helped train us for what's to come," said Bezon. "I think getting out there and actually doing the job on a daily basis is actually one of the best things we can do. I'm making people aware that there's more out there..."

Signup for our newsletter

Crown Pt. Nat'l Guard officer returns home after deployment

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS