Airmen leave a footprint in Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Capt. Dustin Doyle
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (AFNS) --  Twenty-one Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing here recently returned from a 60-day deployment to Afghanistan where they augmented port operations at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Daniel Krall, the commander of the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron, requested help from 621st CRW Airmen to deploy to the central hub for military operations within Afghanistan. 621st CRW Airmen answered the call.

Bagram Airfield hosts one of Afghanistan's busiest aerial ports. On average, the 455th EAPS moves approximately 500 tons of cargo and 1,000 passengers per day.

"I was honored to be able to take a team of both experienced and brand new aerial porters to Bagram to work this very important mission," said Master Sgt. Shannon Koenigstein, the aerial port flight chief for the CRW's 817th Contingency Response Group. "For about 25 percent of the team, this was their first deployment to the (area of responsibility). The experiences they had on this deployment will stick with them their whole career."

During the deployment, the port team loaded and unloaded approximately 300 aircraft ranging from C-17 Globemaster IIIs to contracted Boeing 747s to Russian Antonovs. In all, the team helped move more than 101,000 passengers and 86 million pounds of cargo and equipment throughout the AOR and back to the United States: all in just 60 days.

"It was great to experience the integration between the Reserve, active duty, and sister services in the AOR," said Tech. Sgt Gordon Criswell, an aerial porter with the 817th CRG. "We had the opportunity to experience a lot of new things and have a direct impact on this war that we are fighting."

In addition to the day-to-day port operations, the 621st CRW Airmen had an especially unique opportunity. The team helped deliver the first of 5,200 mine resistant ambush protected all-terrain vehicles to the troops fighting in Afghanistan.

Intended to replace the up-armored Humvee, the M-ATVs are designed to support small-unit combat operations in highly restricted rural, mountainous and urban environments that include mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control, and combat service support.

"It felt great to be a part of the process that brought these M-ATVs into our military inventory, especially when the vehicle is designed to save lives and reduce injury to our men and women in uniform," Sergeant Koenigstein said.