Through Airmen's Eyes: Vehicle operator recalls deployment

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Bryan Crane
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFNS) --  (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories and commentaries focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

In December 2011, the U.S. withdrew its last service members from Iraq to end operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

Senior Airman William Peters was deployed during this historic time period to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, and held a critical position in helping service members pull out of Iraq.

Peters, who was deployed to Camp Arifjan between July 2011 and February 2012 from the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle operations here, said his deployed duties were similar to those at Whiteman AFB because each one involved moving equipment from one place to another.

"At Whiteman you were never worried about your life when you went on a mission," said Peters, whose convoys frequently took him into Iraq. "The dangers in Iraq had me on my toes at every moment.

"On one trip into Iraq we had maintenance issues and were stuck in a sketchy area," Peters said. "We decided to keep moving, considering our destination wasn't too far away. We turned a corner and nearly 12 vehicles passed the same spot before an improvised explosive device detonated on one of our cargo trucks."

The experience was a close call for Peters, but because of the training he received before his deployment, his instincts kicked in.

"We could all see the flash and feel the shake of the explosion," said Peters. "We all got into position to protect ourselves. Luckily, it was a single attack and there were no major injuries to anyone in our convoy."

Peters said he never had a typical day while in Kuwait. While on base at Camp Arifjan, he had a bunk bed with a sectioned-off area for privacy and a variety of places to eat, but things changed when he went out on missions. He could be sleeping on a cot in a shack or a tent with holes in it or even on the ground.

Missions were long for Peters as the convoys had to take certain routes and at times could only travel at night.

"One mission had us take anti-mortars out of Iraq, and these were the biggest pieces of equipment we ever moved," Peters said. "Because of the sensitive nature of the weapons, the missions were strategically conducted.

For Peters, the deployment meant a lot, he said, as he remembers being a young boy when the war began. Now he was seeing it end and, after bases throughout Iraq shut down, Peters and his unit were among the last to complete the final pull-out for the 424th Medium Truck Attachment.

"The best part of my deployment was closing out Iraq," Peters said. "I was just a kid when 9/11 happened, and I've grown up most of my life during this war. To be part of closing our efforts in Iraq was a big deal for me."

Overall, Peters said he enjoyed his first deployment, but he did miss a few things about home.

"I missed all the sights and smells of home while deployed," Peters said. "Of course, most of all, I missed my family. You never knew if you were talking to them for the last time. It was great coming home and seeing their faces again."

The war in Iraq might be over for the U.S., but Peters said that if he ever got a chance to deploy somewhere again, he would definitely take it.