Airmen deliver 1 million pounds of supplies in 42 days

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --  Airmen of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron dropped its 1 millionth pound of equipment from a C-17 Globemaster III Feb. 16 over Afghanistan just 42 days after arriving here Dec. 30. 

Unit members deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., completed the milestone mission supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We have been flying sorties at a quick pace," said Lt. Col. Chris Mann, the 816th EAS commander. "This was because the warfighters' requirements have increased dramatically, so the need for airdrop has increased dramatically."

Squadron Airmen have been dropping an average 30,000 pounds of supplies and equipment per mission to more than 20 forward operating bases, which are mostly in Afghanistan, said Capt. Marshal Haylett, a member of the 816th EAS mission planning cell.

"A lot of the areas we go are high terrain and really tough to get convoys up to," said the native of Orlando, Fla. "The need for airdrops is only going to increase because it's such an effective way to get supplies to those bases."

A large majority of supplies dropped include food, water, ammunition and fuel, though medical supplies and morale equipment are regularly dropped as well, he said.

"We provide support to all the ground guys," said Senior Airman Lee Vearrier, a C-17 loadmaster. "It makes a huge impact, especially for the Army guys on the ground. We are just trying to help them out."

In addition to supplies for the forward operating bases, the 816th EAS Airmen will do drops to Afghan villages as gestures of good will from the United States.

"We did a drop the other day where we dropped blankets, clothing and soccer balls to the kids, and that's been proven to help the fight," the captain said. "After we did that drop, some locals came in and gave (the forward operating bases) information that lead to a local weapons cache because we were helping the village."

Colonel Mann, who is from Leesburg, Ga., said even though the members of the squadron make providing airdrops look easy, a lot of work goes into every mission.

"These missions are challenging, and we all enjoy that challenge," he said. "What may be lost because we've been doing this mission for so long and so well is how complicated this mission really is."

The squadron is made up of an array of career fields, including intelligence personnel, loadmasters, crew chiefs and pilots, all of which are critical to missions being completed, Colonel Mann said.

Airman Vearrier, who hails from Redfield, S.D., said it typically takes about 2.5 hours for cargo to be loaded onto a C-17 from start to finish. Cargo is typically loaded on 48 inch by 48 inch plywood pallets, though the pallets can be larger.

People can be working on a mission for up to 14 hours before the C-17 even takes off, Captain Haylett said. It all depends on how many drops are being made and what the terrain looks like.

"I work for about an 85 percent solution for how the mission should go and present it to the crew," he said. "They take that solution and they refine it, do a good terrain study and make sure they know exactly what they are doing. Then they take that and make it their own so they understand it and can execute it."

The ability to complete missions relies, not only on the more than 100 people assigned to the 816th EAS, but also on other units on base.

All of the aircraft and maintenance personnel belong to the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron that does a great job maintaining the C-17s, Colonel Mann said. 

The squadron also relies on members of the 824th Quartermaster Master Company, Det. 7, which is better known as the 824th Riggers, to make sure everything being dropped has a working parachute so the items can get safely to the ground, Captain Haylett said.

"The thing I think most of us enjoy about this mission is we load up our plane and deliver it directly to the guys who need it," the captain said. "We deliver the stuff and half an hour later they are eating the frozen food we delivered to them, so I think that's really rewarding.

"We have a lot of pride in being able to airdrop these supplies," Colonel Mann said. "It comes down to supporting the warfighter with pride and professionalism. This milestone isn't the end; it's only the beginning."

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