Pax terminal gets Airmen where they need to be

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vann Miller
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Long hours spent working in temperatures hovering around 100 degrees has made a trip home one of the sweetest ideas for Airmen in Southwest Asia. However, many troops face delays and hang-ups that would frustrate the most patient traveler. Fortunately, the “Mighty 8th” is ready to help.

The passenger terminal at a forward-deployed location, owned and operated by the Airmen of the 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron, is the hub for nearly all travel in and out of the area. Managing and arranging travel for thousands of servicemembers, the 12 Airmen who run the terminal do so with a smile, said Capt. Patricia Csank, 8th EAMS operations officer.

“The days are physically and mentally draining,” Captain Csank said. “We have personnel in the sun for hours building baggage pallets and loading them on the aircraft.”

During a rotation, the number of customers almost doubles. An increased workload may be enough to slow the functions of most offices, but the 8th EAMS Airmen still manage to get people to their final destinations.

“I absolutely love my job,” said Airman 1st Class Jeremy Blaney, an 8th EAMS passenger services agent. “Here in the passenger terminal, we serve the people who are on the front lines, and they deserve nothing but the best.”

Though it can get frustrating, Airman Blaney said he likes interacting with people.

The greatest reward of being a part of the passenger terminal is being able to bring Air Mobility Command’s mission not only to Air Force warfighters, but also to the Soldiers, Marines and coalition partners, Captain Csank said.

There are differences in the way passenger terminals run in a deployed location from the ones in the United States. The mission at a deployed location is unlike anything at home stations, Captain Csank said.

“At home, the mission is fairly steady and predictable,” she said. “At this base, the mission is very fluid and absolutely unpredictable. We are the passenger transfer base for the entire theater.”

Passenger agents must be logistically savvy, Captain Csank said. Challenges include matching airlift requirements and mission schedules. This is all in an attempt to accommodate the passengers’ requirements, she said.