Airlift/Tanker Association breaks ground on new Operation Allies Refuge monument Published Sept. 4, 2024 SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Airlift/Tanker Association Walk of Fame, Aug 28, 2024. The event was centered around the commencement of the construction for a new Operation Allies Refuge monument, joining a piece from the Berlin Wall, the 9/11 memorial and memorial busts. Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking From left to right, Airlift/Tanker Association Treasurer Retired Colonel John Strube, Air Mobility Command Commander Gen. Mike Minihan, Ground Training NCOIC SSgt. Morgan Reed, and Air Mobility Wing Commander Col. John Poole, break ground for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | 5 images | Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking From left to right, Airlift/Tanker Association Treasurer Retired Colonel John Strube, Air Mobility Command Commander Gen. Mike Minihan, Ground Training NCOIC SSgt. Morgan Reed, and Air Mobility Wing Commander Col. John Poole, break ground for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) 1 of 5 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking Ceremonial shovels stand at attention at a groundbreaking event for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) 2 of 5 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking Retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Strube, Airlift/Tanker Association treasurer, speaks at a groundbreaking event for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) 3 of 5 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking From left: Retired U.S. Air Force Col. John Strube, Airlift/Tanker Association treasurer, Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, Staff Sgt. Morgan Reed, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron ground training noncommissioned officer-in-charge, and Col. John Poole, 375th Air Mobility Wing commander, hold the ceremonial shovels at a groundbreaking event for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) 4 of 5 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Operation Allies Refuge Monument Groundbreaking U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, commends Staff Sgt. Morgan Reed, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron ground training noncommissioned officer-in-charge, at a groundbreaking event for a new monument honoring Operation Allies Refuge on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Aug. 28, 2024. Operation Allies Refuge was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history, evacuating 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jacob Silva-Dreyer) 5 of 5 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Retired Col. John Strube, ATA treasurer, and Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, spoke at the event before breaking ground alongside Col. John Poole, Air Mobility Wing commander, and Staff Sgt. Morgan Reed, 375th Aeromedical Evacuation ground training noncommissioned officer-in-charge. Operation Allies Refuge, led by AMC, was the largest non-combatant evacuation mission in history. Between August 10, 2021 and September 13, 2021, AMC crews, alongside NATO Allies and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, evacuated 124,000 people, 79,000 of which were Afghan citizens, from Hamid Karzai International Airport. The operation marked the end of the war in Afghanistan and a historic achievement for AMC.