Moving supplies across Iraq can be a daunting task, but it is one more than 150 Airmen of Detachment 2632 have come together to do each day.

These 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron “in-lieu-of” forces assist the Army's 181st Transportation Battalion run convoy missions primarily to forward operating locations throughout Iraq.

Det. 2632 is not their official Air Force name. They inherited it from the 2632nd Transportation Company, a California Army National Guard unit from which the Air Force picked up the mission. The Airmen, representing nine specialty codes, have varying experience levels since they don’t do this job at their home stations.

“About 25 percent of my Airmen have done this mission before,” said detachment commander Capt. Richard Pike. “And there are 15 people who have only been in service for a year.”

Chief Master Sgt. Shawn Keller, the unit’s chief enlisted manager, is one of the Airmen who have done this before. He was deployed to Balad in February 2004 when the Air Force first began providing convoy support to the Army.

"We have four other people here who were on the first gun truck missions conducted at Balad and are going to be here when it closes down," Chief Keller said. “The Air Force is transferring the mission back to the Army because we have been tasked for a new mission. Their new mission is to perform line-haul convoys based elsewhere in Southwest Asia.”

Despite the end of this mission, the Airmen remain focused on other aspects of their job, like maintaining convoy vehicles and providing security during trips for other customers.

The Airmen embraced the various missions, learning as much as they can about different aspects of the detachment.

“Our Airmen come from career fields that range from intelligence to supply, vehicle maintenance to security forces. However, a bulk are from vehicle operations,” Chief Keller said. “Everyone came here trained in their job; we now have vehicle operators who are also qualified as gunners and security forces Airmen qualified as operators.

“You cannot tell one AFSC from the other,” the chief said. “We are all one AFSC. Everyone is doing what they can to help.”

The Airmen's desire to step outside their normal lane of expertise has had a positive impact on the shop. And Chief Keller said despite occasional weariness, their motivation remains high.

"The Airmen we have out here take a lot of pride in their mission and it shows," the chief said. "They receive a lot of respect from the Army."

Many of the Airmen also realize their deployment to Iraq is unique.

“This is something not every Airman will get the chance to experience,” vehicle operator Senior Airman Levi Parrish said. “I have gotten to meet Iraqis firsthand. I have had first hand experiences outside of the wire which is something very few Airmen can say.”