4th Corps Soldiers get lift from 386th AEW

  • Published
  • By Spc. Chris Jones
  • 40th Public Affairs Detachment
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Pvt. 1st Class Michael Sirrine is on his first deployment but knows plenty about being in the desert. A native of Tuscon, Ariz., he noticed as soon as he arrived in Kuwait, "it's just like home, with less cactus." 

Before boarding an Air Force C-130 Hercules in early September for Balad, Iraq, Private Sirrine and fellow Soldiers from the 4th Corps Material Management Center at Fort Hood, Texas, spent time at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, for some final training. From improvised explosive device training to convoy live fire, the Soldiers honed their combat skills.

Once training is complete, units forward deploy either by ground or air. Part of the U. S. Army Central mission in support of the warfighter is getting Soldiers in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly and safely as possible.

For troops flying into Iraq, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing is USARCENT's primary air link. But the missions are never the same, said Maj. Jonathan Watson, a pilot attached the 386th AEW.

Taking flights instead of ground convoys is a faster and generally safer route to Iraq, and for Army Staff Sgt. Chris Haney, "it's a big burden off my chest knowing we're getting there a lot faster, and my Soldiers are more out of the way of a possible ambush."

Sergeant Haney, who is on his third deployment to the Middle East, said "the important thing is just to get there and get on with your mission."

"It's a much safer way to get them (to Iraq) than a convoy," said Air Force 1st Lt. Varun Puroht, a flight navigator. "Bringing them home obviously feels better than taking them over, of course, but it's good to know that when we take them, at least they are safer than by ground."

For flight crews of the 386th AEW, no two missions are exactly the same. Aside from sending troops to Iraq and bringing them home, the unit drops off cargo around the theater of operations, transports detainees and sometimes evacuates wounded Soldiers from combat, said Major Watson.

"If you can fit it in the back (of the aircraft)," said Major Watson, "we've carried it."

A native of Sperryville, Va., the major has been deployed to the Middle East for 30 of the last 46 months during a span of eight deployments.

During this time, he has flown to many nations in the Central Command area of operations, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Djibouti, Jordan and Turkey.

"We fly pretty much anywhere, anytime," he said.

But the primary mission remains Iraq and back.

"Flying them in feels good," said Major Watson, "but it also reminds you to keep on your toes.

"We do get shot at, and you realize that you have 50 to 70 folks counting on you and your crew to get them there safely, so you keep your eyes peeled for threats," he said.