Ganci AB supports flood of soldiers

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
GANCI AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  A flash flood of fully armed, desert-camouflaged warriors swept through the flightline here this week, leaving the base’s passenger and cargo moving experts wiped out.

The huge influx of Army troops stopped here briefly before heading to Afghanistan to relieve troops already in place. At times, the surge of soldiers nearly doubled the base’s population.

“We’re probably the busiest place on base right now,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael Eichler, logistical planner at the base’s Air Terminal Operation Center.

The surge of passenger and cargo movement has severely tapped Ganci’s resources and not just at ATOC, officials said. Services and civil engineer units have scrambled to provide food, sleeping areas and sanitary facilities. As difficult as the operation has been however, it is a major reason why Ganci Air Base exists.

“That’s how we support the fight against terrorism. We move the Army,” Eichler said. “If we didn’t have troops in Afghanistan, we wouldn’t be here.”

Units fly into Ganci on jumbo jets and transfer to the more combat-capable C-130 Hercules aircraft for their flights into Afghanistan. Five or more Hercules flights are needed to empty one of the bigger planes.

The air terminal is receiving passengers at about three times the normal rate, said Senior Master Sgt. Ian Palmer, ATOC superintendent. Time off for people in the ATOC team is generally measured in hours or minutes instead of days, he said.

The surge of troops headed downrange will continue into early September, Palmer said. Once the last of the fresh faces leaves, it will be time for the soldiers they replace to return home, so the flow will be reversed.

“And then in October, the coalition guys are leaving. “But that’s OK,” Palmer said. “This is the job we came to do and we’re doing it well. Everyone’s at their limit right now, but they’re holding up pretty well, considering. They’re doing an excellent job.”

Separating the arriving troops into smaller groups includes locating the three to four bags each person carries and making sure they get on the same C-130 as their owners. Some of the transients are airborne again within three hours and most others are gone within 24 hours, Palmer said.