Airmen demonstrate their importance to Afghanistan, joint operations

  • Published
  • By Capt. David Faggard
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LIGHTNING, Afghanistan (AFNS) --  Joint expeditionary tasked Airmen have two commanders, the Army one responsible for their day-to-day missions and the Air Force one responsible for their administrative and operational control; but they both sing the praises of their Airmen.

According to Army Lt. Col. Matt Smith the task force commander here, Airmen are crucial in ensuring the joint and combined services achieve their missions.

"Airmen help fill a critical function in our headquarters and are doing an exceptional job -- every one of them," said Colonel Smith. "One of my greatest fears is if the Air Force leaves us here; our operations run like a charm because of our Airmen."

According to the wing commander responsible for all JET Airmen in Afghanistan, Airmen supporting the joint fight are examples of the Air Force's "all in" approach to the conflict in Afghanistan.

"Mentoring and partnering with the Army, Navy and Afghan forces are crucial to this war effort," said Brig. Gen. Steven Kwast, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "Every Airman has to be 'all in;' you'll be more focused on the mission and you'll ultimately be a better Airman and person. Airmen will do anything you [the joint community] ask of us, as long as we're trained to do the job correctly."

JET Airmen are crucial to Afghanistan's future, according to the general. The embedded training teams here are empowered to teach and mentor their Afghan counterparts.

Airmen at the Paktia Regional Medical Hospital mentor Afghans in what might seem like the basics back home, but to this part of the world it's revolutionary.

"We helped them safely transport blood from our hospital to another for the first time in history," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Levine, a laboratory technician at the hospital who also said the basics of calibration and maintenance are new ideas for the Afghan technicians they're teaching. "It could have been a logistical nightmare, but now we've got a process that's repeatable and sustainable thanks to the coordinated planning and efforts by Airmen."

The procedures and process taught by the Airmen was well received by their host.

"We understand our problems," Afghanistan National Army Colonel (Dr.) Sultangal Totakhail said through a translator. "We are thankful to the American people and we're developing and making progress. We believe we have a great relationship with the U.S.," he said discussing how they were prepared for the Afghan National Elections, Aug. 20, with the help of their Air Force counterparts who ensured they had enough supplies and blood on hand if needed.

Another portion of the visit was for the general to meet with those Airmen far out in the remote portions of Afghanistan to tell them they are extremely important to this war.

"Victory in counterinsurgency is getting the Afghans to believe we're here to help them defeat the enemy; that will win this war overnight," he said. "The moment that they [Afghans] believe we're here for the long haul to help them, we've won."

"This war isn't about dropping bombs, or how many of the enemy we can kill, it's about bringing hope to the Afghan people and teaching them to do this for themselves," the general said to his Airmen.

JET Airmen in Afghanistan are making history, according to the general.

"You're at the foundation of this war and this war will teach you to be a great Airman and a great person," the general said. "You'll be able to look back on this time here and tell your grandkids that you were at the bedrock of success of this great nation."