Aerial porters firing on all cylinders in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Marc Barnes
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  The airlift mission that moves cargo in and out of Iraq is complicated, like a machine with many moving parts. When all of the airlift parts are working together, America's warfighters are supplied with everything from beans to bullets.

One of the most important parts of the airlift machine is the aerial port flight here, officials said. The flight’s Airmen, part of the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, are responsible for loading and unloading cargo from dozens of aircraft that land at Balad each day.

The aircraft vary in size, from the cavernous C-5 Galaxy to the Air Force's tactical workhorse, the C-130 Hercules. And no matter what they are hauling when they arrive, the "Aerial Porters” are responsible for unloading it and then routing it so it can be delivered -- whether it is going to Airmen up the street, or to Marines and Soldiers hundreds of miles away.

Capt. Rob Neal leads the Airmen who make up the flight. He is deployed here from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron at Dover Air Force Base, Del. He said his team, which includes active-duty and Air National Guard Airmen, is motivated to keep the airlift machine firing on all cylinders because they understand the importance of what they do.

“Lives depend on what we do here,” the captain said. “We ship everything from beans to tanks. There are people throughout this country who are depending on us to get these aircraft unloaded.”

But moving the huge amounts of cargo that come through Balad comes with challenges, said Tech. Sgt. Sam Louie, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the flight's ramp services. Sergeant Louie, also is deployed from the 436th APS.

He said two of their biggest hurdles have been equipment problems and ensuring cargo is coded properly before shipment.

“If we need a piece of equipment repaired, it's sometimes hard to find the right person who has the right expertise to repair the equipment,” Sergeant Louie said.

Cargo sometimes comes in for shipment with wrong codes or incorrect paperwork, which can slow the delivery process, he said. While they said they do all they can to assist customers, they depend on them to get paperwork in order so the flight’s Airmen can do what they do best -- move tons of cargo.

Captain Neal said moving cargo to the front lines will mean long-term benefits for Airmen stationed here, as well as for their units back home.

“This is a fantastic training environment,” he said. “We have (relatively new) troops here with us, and they're getting invaluable training.”

The Airmen move more cargo than the “super port” at Dover, which is home to most of them. But, they move cargo without many of the additional responsibilities and with a narrower focus than the super port, Captain Neal said. He said their mission here is very focused on one thing -- supplying the warfighter.

“We (do our job) as quickly as possible so the cargo can get to where it needs to be, and the warfighters can keep on with the fight,” he said.