In-lieu-of Airmen excel in Iraqi provincial reconstruction

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ken Hall
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
More than ever before, Airmen are serving combat deployments traditionally filled by the Army and Marine Corps. Because of sister-service personnel shortages, Airmen are serving in-lieu-of, or ILO, the Soldiers and Marines who would normally execute these combat missions.

In Iraq alone, nearly 1,700 Airmen are assigned in this capacity. They are administratively and operationally controlled by the 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group at Balad Air Base. The combat Airmen are then tactically deployed to Army and joint organizations at more than 60 forward operating locations throughout Iraq.

Four Airmen deployed here successfully completed tours of duty supporting the Army's 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion's Provincial Reconstruction Teams. 

Master Sgts. John Murrell; Jaime Cordero, Jr.; Kenneth Hans; and Ralph Zanfagna were recognized for their service to the Army.

Sergeant Murrell, from Hartford, Ind., served the past 150-plus days as the NCO in charge of the battalion's supply section, supervising a joint-service staff of three Soldiers and two Sailors. He deployed more than seven months ago.

A typical day for Sergeant Murrell lasted from 4:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and included managing responsibility for the battalion's quarter million dollars worth of weapons and optics, as well as $20 million in equipment spread across 12 locations in the area of responsibility.  While deployed here, he also become proficient at driving humvees and firing the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon.

Sergeant Cordero, from Carson, Calif., is an Air Force medic.  He covered the PRT's medical operations during his six-month deployment.  Sergeant Cordero worked with the Ninewa PRT-Gulf Region North and coalition forces to develop a Provincial Reconstruction and Development Committee project to build a $2.1 million cardiac surgical wing onto the Ibn Sena Teaching Hospital here. The Ccrdiac surgical center is the only one of its kind north of Baghdad and is available to  more than 3.4 million Iraqi citizens. 

Master Sgt. Kenneth Hans, from St. Joseph, Mo., specializes in information technology, serving as the battalion's communications NCO in charge. He maintained the PRT's critical communication capabilities at remote locations in northern Iraq.

Sergeant Hans managed more than 100 user accounts and all the battalion's tactical local area network servers. In the course of providing remote communications support, he participated in several tactical convoys that traveled through hostile areas of Mosul. 
To prepare for this limited but recurring mission, the sergeant became qualified to operate heavily armored Humvees and mounted weapon systems.

Sergeant Zanfagna of Providence, R.I., served as the battalion commander's emergency response program NCO in charge.

Sergeant Zanfagna compiled, completed and submitted more than 250 CERP reconstruction and humanitarian projects totaling more than $30 million for Ninewa Provincial Reconstruction.

As Airmen fill more ILO taskings in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army leaders have nothing but praise for them.

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