Deployed Aerial Porters hard at work in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stacey Fowler
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  As the drawdown and redeployment of assets continues in Iraq, helicopters from bases in the north have made their way to Joint Base Balad to be inspected, prepped and shipped to new operating locations with the assistance of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Port team.

     "We have about 70 helicopters coming through here in just two weeks," said Senior Master Sgt. Mark Farrington, 332 ELRS Aerial Port special handling superintendent, deployed from 42nd Aerial Port Squadron, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. "We have to make sure they are properly prepared for shipment even before they touch the ramp of the cargo planes transporting them."

     332 ELRS personnel and their Army maintenance counterparts conduct inventory inspections together to make sure each aircraft is "airworthy:" removing armament; securing the helicopter blades, fins and other maneuvering gear; and ensuring all potentially hazardous materials like batteries, oils and fuel are at safe levels for shipment by air.

     If there is one thing that is going to make this movement work, it is teamwork.

     "Communication and coordination between the Army and Air Force is what makes this whole thing work," said Capt. Stephen Lee, 209th Aviation Support Battalion strategic air load officer in charge, deployed from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. "This is a no-fail mission. These aircraft are from U.S. areas in the North, and will be funneled through Joint Base Balad on their way to locations of higher priority. This is a potentially complicated operation, made simpler through proper planning."

     Preparation for these movements began months ago, said Chief Master Sgt. Bruce Westcott, 332 ELRS Air Terminal manager, deployed from 42 APS, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.

     "The Army says they have to move their aircraft, and they work with the Air Force to get it going," said Chief Westcott. "The Army says, 'We have this number of Blackhawks, Apaches, etc., that we have to get from point A to point B.' To help connect the dots from start to finish, the Air Force comes back with, 'We can allot you this number of C-17s and C-5s.' And for each aircraft there is a specific load plan that tells the loadmaster they can load 'this' many helicopters of 'this' particular type onto a C-17 or C-5."

     It was this coordination that has made the transport relatively smooth, according to Captain Lee.

     "We knew what we needed to do in the first half of the planning, and that made implementation and action faster and smoother when the aircraft began to move," said Captain Lee.

     The last time helicopters came through JBB, it was on a much smaller scale; and even though the mission has increased exponentially, the support of the 332 ELRS continues to carry on strong.

     "This is what we do here - make it happen, whatever the mission is at the time," said Sergeant Farrington. "We won't say 'it's too hot' when it's 135-140 degrees on the flightline; that is when we work together the best. If there is one entity that has problems meeting the line, we all step up to make sure we all hit the line."

     Working side-by-side, Army and Air Force personnel continue their cooperation during drawdown and redeployment.

     "Knowing what each of us had to bring to the flightline has paid off tenfold," said Captain Lee. "From the beginning of planning months ago, through the inspection and transport today, I am very proud of my Soldiers and the Airmen here who have made this happen."