Cambridge native serving in Afghanistan

    Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Craig R. Wells has been deployed to Afghanistan, where he was serving on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

    The officer serves with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Air Field, to help ensure terrorist insurgents do not regain a foothold in the region. The air field is the largest military installation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

    The primary mission of the air expeditionary wing is to support the Global War on Terrorism by providing aerial support for U.S. and coalition forces on the ground during Operation Enduring Freedom. Troops combat terrorism and help the Afghan people build for a better future.

    Wells, a deputy commander, directs the close-air support mission executed by A-10 and F-15 tactical and fighter aircraft. The lieutenant colonel has served in the military for 21 years.

    He is the son of Donald E. and Carol E. Wells of Cambridge. His wife, Tammy, is the daughter of Jan Ross of Rock Island.

    In 1983, Wells graduated from Cambridge High School, and in 1987 he received a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University, Peoria. He earned a master’s degree in 1992 from the Golden Gate University, Sacramento, Calif.