Manas center helps Airmen return home quicker

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jerome Baysmore
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  Members of the 376th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's Expeditionary Theater Distribution Center here tested a new process to help Airmen deployed for "in lieu of" taskings for the Army return to their families faster.

"Air Force teamwork streamlined all processes that ensured inventory, packaging and the shipment of assets to Army power projection platforms that will allow our Air Force warfighters to return home four to five days ahead of schedule and save the Department of Defense an estimated $5.1 million in excess baggage and travel costs in the first year alone," said Master Sgt. Robert Craig, the 376th ELRS ETDC superintendent.  

The center is part of a 2nd Air Force and U.S. Central Command Third Party Turn-In, or TPTI, test for redeploying Airmen to turn-in their gear at Manas Air Base instead of returning them to the issuing Army installation.

"Overall, I'm very pleased with the TPTI process," said Col. Brad Reinert, the CENTAF director of logistics. "Any measures we take to accelerate the return of our warriors back home to their families, is well worth the investment of time, energy and brain cells."

The initial test was competed in December 2007.

"Manas (AB) has answered the TPTI call and is doing a great service for our redeploying warriors, their families and CENTAF," he said. "Turning the gear in now versus traveling to a (continental U.S.) Army post to do so, saves time, pain, taxpayer dollars, and the ultimate untold dividend -- early return of warriors to their loved ones.

"This turned out to be an unintended (Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century) event," he said.

The Jan. 19 test focused on a 156-person group of Airmen returning from a six-month "in-lieu-of" rotation in Afghanistan. The group originally deployed from Fort Riley, Kan., after their Combat Skills Training.

"I was actually one of the people who were excited to head back to Kansas," said Maj. Ted Rhodes, who deployed from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., as a hospital administrator and adviser. "It's a centralized place to turn in gear, and that gets people back to their home units quicker instead of going back to places like Fort Riley to do so."

Senior Master Sgt. Yalonda Milton, deployed from Scott AFB, Ill., and also part of this 156-person ETDC test, agreed with Major Rhodes.

"This is one of the best things the Air Force could have done," she said. "It's a great idea to get people processed and back home."

"The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing determined it had the potential resources available to support this effort to benefit our wingmen and accepted the challenge," Sergeant Craig said. "In less than one month after the tasks were accepted, ETDC had relocated more than 20,000 assets to an alternate storage location to provide up to 3,000 square feet of floor space for the inventory and packaging of weapons and equipment."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view the comments/letters page