Dyess Airmen help airborne operations return to Fort Hood

  • Published
  • By Army Cpl. John D. Ortiz
  • 4th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs
FORT HOOD, Texas (AFPN) --  "Stand up! Hook up!" 

More than 20 personnel heard these words as they rushed to jump out of a C-130 Hercules on the first airborne operation conducted in more than 10 years for Fort Hood Soldiers.

Airmen of the 317th Airlift Group from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, partnered with Fort Hood officials to help restart the jump operations at the Army post.

"We're excited to conduct joint airdrop and air-land operations with our Army brethren at Fort Hood," said Col. Bernard Mater, the 317th AG commander. "These realistic training opportunities are a fantastic way to season our aircrew force at unfamiliar locations while learning about Army tactics, techniques and procedures and they from us. This will enable us to better understand each other's capabilities and requirements and ultimately, provide a great range of tactical force insertion and resupply options for the warfighter and more importantly, save lives."

The team effort gave both the Army and Air Force a win-win situation.

"We put on a demonstration for a new capability that is offered and available to all commanders regardless of command size," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Frank Badalucco, an airdrop systems technician with the 4th Sustainment Brigade.

During the transformation of units into modular brigades, the Army decided to deploy an airdrop technician in all sustainment brigades to help deliver supplies, adding yet another dimension to the logistical field -- airborne re-supply.

"In Afghanistan, it is hard to supply units by convoy because the mountainous terrain is hard to overcome, so theater transitioned to supply by airdrop," Mr. Badalucco said.

This mode of delivering supplies can save lives, he said, "by transitioning over to airdrop supply, (sustainment brigades) can reduce the number of convoys that are needed to push supplies to units, leading to reduced improvised explosive device attacks, simply by reducing the number of convoys on the ground."

An example of how the delivery of supplies can save lives on the ground was put to the test last year, Colonel Mater said.

"Late last year, a 39th Airlift Squadron aircrew (from Dyess AFB) airdropped crucial resupply to troops in contact in Afghanistan. Despite night, poor weather and taking fire from the Taliban, the aircrew safely and precisely delivered the needed supplies," Colonel Mater said.

"Without the realistic airdrop training opportunities like those offered at Fort Hood, the coalition force might have been overrun and killed if they had to wait for us to land and then someone else delivers these combat supplies overland," he said. "Up to this point, these kinds of training opportunities have been rare. Our ability to train at Fort Hood will ensure our aircrews will be able to answer our nation's call anytime, anywhere."

This capability allows units on rotation to either Afghanistan or Iraq to train locally and become familiar with the procedures to request airborne supply.

"This operation is paving the way for our Soldiers and our future airborne operations," said Army Capt. Reginald Williams, the commander of B Troop 38 Cavalry.

"We are interested in any airborne capability that this post has to offer because it will help us facilitate our mission; it is also a great opportunity to conduct dual training with other [service organizations]," said Captain Williams.

"We appreciated the 317th AG, National Guard, reservists, and the 4th and 15th SB's coming out here and paving the way for us, showing the world and Fort Hood, that (units) can conduct not only payload airborne operations, but also drop personnel on the drop zone," he said.

"It has been a long time since anybody jumped at Fort Hood," said Army Sgt. Richard Ferrell a member of the Texas National Guard and the 294th Quartermaster Company (Airborne) out of Camp Mabry near Austin, Texas. "We are here to show what the airborne Quartermaster Corps can do as parachute riggers. We don't just pack parachutes, but we can deliver anything to a theater near you."

(7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs contributed to this story)

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