Base readies for influx of tankers

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Rosaire Bushey
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England (AFPN) --  In March, hundreds of people will descend upon a small, picturesque base in England’s Cotswolds region.

This influx of people, caused by the relocation of aircraft for three months while the runway here is resurfaced, will more than quadruple the number of active-duty airmen at Royal Air Force Fairford.

A quick glance around the base reveals that it is nicely suited to the 175 U.S. military members, 20 U.S. civilians and 260 Ministry of Defense civilians currently stationed there. A small commissary and exchange serve the basic needs of the community, and the services flight keeps busy providing as many fitness, child-care and other entertainment services as it can.

So, what becomes of such a place when it is invaded by hundreds of newcomers?

“Not too much, really,” said Master Sgt. Greg McKinney, superintendent of plans and programs. “I mean, this is what we do. We’re a forward-operating location, a support base, and we’re set up to handle large groups of people for extended, although temporary, periods of time.”

McKinney is not just touting a party line, either. During Operation Desert Storm, RAF Fairford was home to bombers, mechanics, flight crews and medical people. Fairford housed more than 2,000 additional people.

“Up until 1990, we had about 1,000 people stationed here full-time with the European Tanker Task Force,” McKinney said. “When they left for RAF Mildenhall, we shrank down to about 50 people. Other operations have brought us back up to our present status of about 460 people with 175 U.S. military, although nearly half of that number actually commutes daily to RAF Welford, working ammo issues.”

During Operation Enduring Freedom, the base housed more than 800 airmen as well as more than 350 RAF, British Army and MOD members.

Everyone on base, from the commander on down, pitches in to do what it takes, said Senior Master Sgt. Vernon Griffith, services superintendent.

“Every now and then we’ll have what we call ‘squadron enhancement days,’ ” Griffith said. “It means we’re putting up beds somewhere, but everyone gets involved, and it’s interesting to be part of a group of people like this.”

There are no specialists at RAF Fairford, according to Griffith. Everyone wears several hats, and because of close interaction, there is a kind of symbiosis that takes place between organizations when things need to get done.

“You want to talk about brotherhood; this is it,” he said. “We get to know each other so well that we understand what the other person needs to get (his or her) piece of the puzzle solved.”

Unlike Operation Iraqi Freedom, which came without months of notification and time to prepare, the RAF Mildenhall runway closure is coming with plenty of advance notice.

“The planning time is nice because we can move things to make people as comfortable as possible,” Griffith said. “Sure, we could just fill the contingency dorms and be done, but with time to plan we can ease the congestion by opening other areas.”

That planning works for various areas of the base, such as the fitness center and other morale, welfare and recreation facilities.

“We’ve been working closely with the 100th Services Squadron, and it’s been fantastic,” Griffith said. “They’ll be bringing folks here to help run things, and we’re trying to provide as many of the comforts of home as we can.”

Services will likely expand operating hours, offer tours to local attractions and sights, provide an Internet café for e-mail and Web surfing and do anything that will make life more comfortable, officials said.

“We learned one thing from OIF and that is that we can’t just wait until people arrive and then say ‘we need, we need, we need,’ ” Griffith said. “We have to get out in front of that process several months ahead of time and start ordering what we’ll need in advance to get it in the system in plenty of time.

“In that respect, our relationship with the 100th SVS has helped a lot. (Lt. Col. Jerry Reed, 100th SVS commander) has never treated us as a separate entity out here,” Griffith said. “If we need something, they try to get it to us, and we go to Mildenhall for training so we’re not faceless names. That’s been a tremendous plus for us, in terms of planning, because I know when I call … I’ll get a ‘no kidding’ answer I can rely on.”

Come March, Griffith, as well as the rest of RAF Fairford, will also be able to count on, once again, having their world turned upside down.

“It will be different for us; it always is,” Griffith said. “We go from never having lines to suddenly having to wait at the exchange or searching for a parking space, which we rarely, if ever, have to do.

“It’s kind of surreal to have so many extra faces at your base all of a sudden, but it’s what we do,” he said. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)