On Thursday, some 70 airmen assigned to Keesler AFB, Miss., who have been serving tours in Southwest Asia were due in to Houston. The Air Force planned to send them on to Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, where they would start the task of finding family members who were evacuated from Keesler.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.