Tallil’s post office delivers

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Gerardo Gonzalez
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  As the Air Expeditionary Force “Blue” rotation gains momentum, so does life at one organization here. The Air Force’s local post office helps troops stockpile goodies from home and lighten their load when they leave.

The post office has come a long way since it opened and continually tackles challenges to offer many of the same services airmen might find at home.

"We can do standard mail, priority mail, insured packages and certified mail," said Staff Sgt. Craig Thomas, the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron custodian of mail operations.

This small station receives about 30,000 pounds of mail per week, according to Master Sgt. Sylvia Goodwin, the 407th ECS postmaster. Outgoing amounts can vary depending on several factors, such as deployments and local shipping requirements.

"When I was in (Saudi Arabia) we received it by the tons and shipped out just as much," said Airman 1st Class Gary Verdusco, a 407th ECS postal finance clerk.

According to Goodwin, the volume of outgoing mail is not as large as it could be here because there is less souvenir shopping than at other bases within the theater.

"Since (we've) seen the (on base) gift shop open and the more stuff the (base exchange) sells, the more our volume picks up," she said.

The post office workers deliver and pick up mail daily versus every three to four days, Verdusco said. There are exceptions to daily delivery, especially when the contracted mail convoys encounter an occasional threat while traveling on Iraqi roads.

As long as it makes it to the base, Goodwin said the mail will be delivered. To make sure, the 10-person Air Force postal team works up to seven days a week to keep up with demands.

"The heat comes up, but we still have to process that mail … so we stay there until the job gets done. It's more physically demanding than (people might) think," she said.

But hard work and all, the Tallil postal team meets the daily challenge head-on and does not mind what others may consider “less than ideal” working conditions.

"Here, we improvise a lot," said Verdusco, who helped clean out the abandoned Iraqi building where they now conduct their operation.

“In a way, I feel lucky to be a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom,” he said. “Not many people can say they were in Iraq."

"It's not bad here," said Thomas, who was the first postal airman to arrive. "Job-wise, it's almost easier here."

Thomas said he appreciates the fully staffed postal operation, unlike his home base post office.

While the post office has many of the services available at home, postal workers here deal in cash-only transactions and do not sell money orders, Thomas said. They are also unable to ship items via express or registered mail. However, they do offer free first-class mail service for letters going back to the states -- a deal by anyone’s standards.