Airmen make most of temporary situation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shaun Emery
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  In many deployed locations, temporary quarters are commonplace. Taking that to a whole new level, air traffic controllers with the 332nd Expeditionary Airfield Operations Squadron here have set up shop in a plywood tower nicknamed the “tree house.”

“When we arrived … a renovation project on the existing tower was already scheduled,” said Capt. James Anderson, the squadron’s flight commander. “We inherited the plan, had to fine-tune it and implement it.”

In two weeks, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen constructed an alternate tower out of plywood. Although the plywood tower is temporary, it still has be fully operational. To make that happen, airfield operations Airmen coordinated with 332nd Communications Squadron Airmen to get contingency equipment connected to the tower.

The location of the new tower required a remote system to be implemented, Captain Anderson said.

“We were the first ones to use (this) remoting kit,” said Chief Master Sgt. Mike Hanning, 332nd EAOS chief controller. “And we’re the first to use it at full distance, so we’ve expanded the capability over what has been done before.”

“We couldn’t have done this without the CE and (communications) squadrons,” Captain Anderson said. “Their support was phenomenal. We basically moved from a large fixed facility to a very small facility with no degradation in service or capability.”

Based on traffic count, the air control tower here is among the busiest in the active-duty Air Force, averaging 13,000 operations per month.

Working through a difficult situation, the controllers quickly formed a bond.

“Working in the new tower built camaraderie among controllers,” Chief Hanning said. “Working in such tight quarters, people have to get to know each other. Being in a combat environment really cemented that bond.”

Chief Manning said he often hears people say that today’s generation of controllers is not as good as previous ones, many people assuming today’s Airmen have it easy.

Chief Manning does not agree.

“These Airmen are smarter more adaptable and more capable of getting the mission done no matter what the challenge,” he said. “Doing this job in the temporary tower was quite a challenge.

“We have been able to make positives out of this opportunity because people have learned what they’re capable of and what the equipment is capable of while keeping mission focus,” he said. “Our Airmen are leaving as better controllers. They know they’ve worked more aircraft movements than anyone else in the Air Force.”

Big state-of-the-art facilities may make work easier or are more comfortable, but the lessons learned and the camaraderie gained by the controllers here will benefit them throughout their careers.