Squadron supports 'Freedom Hangar' mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Elaine Aviles
  • 39th Air Base Group Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN) --  People from the 728th Air Mobility Squadron’s aerial port flight have a hand in servicing just about every aircraft that transits here, whether it is supporting Operation Enduring Freedom or carrying passengers home after a holiday in the United States.

While their job may not be as visible or glamorous as a pilot’s or aircrew’s, their mission is equally essential. They are responsible for almost every detail of a mission, from offloading passengers and cargo to cleaning out the latrines and restocking food for the aircrews.

Their already maxed-out 24-hour workload got a bit heavier recently. They are one of the key players in Incirlik’s newest mission: Helping thousands of U.S. soldiers transit home from Iraq.

The flight comprises three sections: command and control, passenger services and aircraft services. Each plays an integral role in the “Freedom Hangar” mission.

As the nerve center, the Air Terminal Operations Center serves as command and control, disseminating information to the other two sections.

“We’re the central point of contact for arrival coordination,” said Tech. Sgt. Tony Williams, ATOC noncommissioned officer in charge. “Once we have an aircraft arrival time, we coordinate passenger support and aircraft services so they can meet the plane on time.”

Since the soldiers are only here for a brief duration while they wait to board a civilian aircraft, the ATOC also coordinates with civilian aircrews who take the soldiers home.

“We basically let everyone know what to do and when to do it,” Sergeant Williams said. “We’re information processors.”

It is the job of both aircraft and passenger services to take that information and be ready to respond at any given time.

“We meet every aircraft and download and upload passengers and baggage from military aircraft onto the commercial charter,” said Master Sgt. Lisa Hill, passenger services superintendent. “We also work with the Army liaison to ensure accountability of arriving and departing soldiers.”

For each aircraft, passenger services people have to break down giant pallets of cargo and then load the luggage onto the civilian plane piece by piece.

“It’s very labor intensive,” said Master Sgt. Mark Sansom, deployed team chief. Sergeant Sansom is one of the 24 augmentees deployed for the Freedom Hangar mission from the 615th Air Mobility Operations Group at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

“The Army picks out 10 soldiers per flight to help us out,” he said.

The extra help is welcome, particularly during a time crunch.

“Sometimes we have less than two hours to download a plane, account for passengers, prepare new manifests and upload the passengers and baggage onto another plane,” Sergeant Hill said.

Schedule considerations also impact the aircraft services people, who provide materials-handling equipment support and drivers to move the Army’s inbound and transloaded baggage.

“Sometimes time and operational constraints force us to perform ‘engine running’ on and offloading procedures,” said Master Sgt. Delbert Mims, aircraft services superintendent. “For many of the younger troops, this is their first time with ERO procedures. It’s not ideal, but we work hard to ensure the mission is performed safely and on time.”

In supporting the operation, aerial port flight people are basically doing their everyday jobs. They do, however, recognize a few of the unique aspects of the mission.

“This mission is very significant,” Sergeant Mims said. “The soldiers have endured a lot and made countless sacrifices in their efforts to preserve freedom. We take great pride and honor in this service to them.” (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)