Next group of Airman-Soldiers set to move into Iraq

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Jones
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  More than 150 Airmen completed the final stages of live-fire convoy training here July 16 before deploying north to Mosul as part of the 494th Air Expeditionary Force Truck Company.

“You will be on the frontlines. You will be facing the enemy everyday in some of the most dangerous areas in Iraq,” said Col. Gary Shick, the 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group commander who addressed the group when training start July 14.

After completing the three-week Basic Combat Convoy Course at Lackland Air Force Base and Camp Bullis, Texas, the vehicle operators arrived here for three days of follow-up training. The transporters will replace Airmen deployed to Mosul since February.

The final stages of training covers close-quarters marksmanship where Airmen will fire their M-4s at targets while moving in close proximity to each other. They also receive familiarization training with weapons such as a .50-caliber and Mark-19 weapons.

The training ends with live-fire convoy tactics where the vehicle operators drive a 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) course and encounter various scenarios like sniper attacks and improvised explosive devices.

The training these Airmen are going through has evolved from what the first transporters to deploy into Iraq experienced earlier in the year.

“From our initial training we were able to rely on a lot of lessons learned,” said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Taylor, the 732nd EMSG’s rear detachment chief enlisted manager and a career vehicle operator. “The original training took about six weeks all in the theater. Now, most of the training is conducted (in Texas) and the training here has been cut down to less than a week.”

The Air Force is training vehicle operators for convoy missions to fill shortfalls the Army has experienced during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Airmen will be tactically assigned to Army units, and their training before deploying to the combat zone will prepare them to fully incorporate into those units.

“Once they hit Camp Bullis, they start speaking Army,” said Maj. Daniel McGee, group’s rear detachment commander. “They organize just like the Army, and when they fall into their units in Iraq, they need to be task-organized like the Army and need to speak the lingo.”

The new breed of Airman-Soldiers who are currently deployed and those who are preparing to take their place have adapted well to changing the way they normally operate.

“You go through your Air Force career and learn leadership skills, but you’re never trained to lead Airmen into combat,” Chief Taylor said. “It’s a tribute to our Air Force culture. These Airmen can think on their feet and make quick decisions and that hasn’t changed in the combat zone.”

For many of the Airmen, it has taken some time to adjust to their new procedures.

“I was a little shocked. I had no idea I’d be doing this,” said Airman Lee Webber, a vehicle operator deployed from Moody AFB, Ga., who has only been in the Air Force for six months. “Sometimes I wake up and wonder if it’s all a dream. Sometimes I don’t feel like an Airman, and I don’t feel like a Soldier. I just feel military.”

“I’ve been in convoys (before), but never in combat. It’s a new experience and eye opener for all of us,” said Senior Airman James Seay, a vehicle operator deployed from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. “I’m excited and a little scared at the same time. We’re all ready to get there and get the job done. We know what we have to do; all that’s left now is doing it.”

Much of the training has focused on team building and communication, skills that will be critical to mission success in Iraq.

“The most important thing we give them is each other,” said Chief Master Sgt. Carl Hunsinger, the truck company’s top enlisted Airmen deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan. “They have to know there is always somebody to talk to. They really have to get to know everything about each other so they can tell when there’s a problem and be able to get their heads back into the game.”

While the Airmen’s greatest concern in the region is each other, some also hope their actions change the way their Air Force specialty is viewed.

“As operators, we’re trained to be there on-time, every time. We do that on a daily basis and have never really gotten the recognition,” Chief Taylor said. “These guys are now even prouder to be Airmen and vehicle operators.”

“In the past, people just saw us as bus drivers,” Airman Seay said. “Now, I think we’ll gain a lot more respect.”

Whether or not these combat Airmen change the way others view their career field, they are definitely breaking new ground for the Air Force.

“You’re doing a good thing for the United States of America. You’re doing a good thing for the people of Iraq. You’re doing a good thing for the world, and you’re making Air Force history,” Colonel Shick said.

There are about 500 Air Force vehicle operators running convoys in Iraq. About 200 Air Force civil engineers and Airmen specializing in petroleum, lubricants and oil are supporting Army ground units.