Rhein-Main maintains air bridge to Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Louis A. Arana-Barradas
  • Air Force Print News
Airman 1st Class Nate Hill had one thing in mind: getting his C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane airborne so it could get on with its mission.

That is "Job 1" at this once-again busy airlift base outside Frankfurt, and if to do that means standing in a steady, cold drizzle most of the day, so be it, he said.

Because Hill knew inside the aircraft were vehicles, humanitarian rations and soldiers bound for Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, the young C-17 crew chief did not have time for distractions.

"I'm just trying to stay focused on my job," Hill said.

No doubt he will have more chances to do that because he still has two more months to go on his 90-day deployment. Assigned to the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., he is now a worker-bee with Rhein-Main's 726th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

It is just the job Hill wanted and why he volunteered to deploy. He could not wait to do his part to help win the war on terrorism.

"I knew everyone here was working hard," Hill said. "I wanted to be part of that."

Help always seems to be in short supply at Rhein-Main, which has been in "closure mode" for several years. But each time something happens and Air Force airlifters need a staging base, the base comes back to life. Its flightline -- across the runway from Frankfurt's busy international airport -- teems with C-17 and C-5 Galaxy long-haul aircraft. Their tail markings show they are from South Carolina, Washington state and Texas.

The aircraft fly to Afghanistan and other locations daily and make up the main link in the vital supply line that sustains U.S. and allied forces in the region.

Hill got on the radio and talked to the crew on the C-17. Aboard the plane, its Air Force Reserve crew started engines and readied the plane for takeoff. The crew had arrived just a few days earlier and was eager to fly.

Tech. Sgt. Rob Suenaga, one of two loadmasters, made final arrangements before takeoff. He made sure to strap down the cargo while beads of sweat sprouted from his shaven head.

"We strap everything down, and double check it," he said. "We have to be safe."

Like the rest of his crew, Suenaga is with the 728th Airlift Squadron at McChord AFB, Wash. He did not have to volunteer for this trip. He has already paid his dues, having spent 10 years on active duty with the Air Force, but like the rest of his crew, he wanted to do the two-week stint flying in and out of Rhein-Main.

"This job offers us a lot of responsibility," Suenaga said. "And I feel (strongly) about doing my duty to my country."

On the cargo jet's relatively spacious flight deck, Lt. Col. Gene Vey sat in the "right seat." He was there to help Maj. Gaston Jankelson with a night-vision-goggles landing at Bagram. No matter how many times you do that, Vey said, it is always a challenge.

A veteran pilot with thousands of hours in military aircraft and commercial airliners, Vey spent 14 years on active duty. The last 10 years he flew C-141 Starlifters, but has 500 hours in the C-17. Because of its long flying range and short landing capability, he said it is the right airplane for the job it is doing from Rhein-Main.

The threat of war with Iraq, however, could change the focus of airlift operations in Europe and the Middle East, Vey said. The Afghan resupply mission would not fall to the back burner, he said, "but the emphasis is already changing."

"We still have a lot of people in Afghanistan who need resupply," he said.

If the United States does go to war with Iraq, Vey said the know-how and increased abilities aircrews gain flying into Afghanistan will be very beneficial to those flying into the Middle East.

"Our mission has always been flexible," Vey said. "We transport cargo and people and do day and night airdrops. We use night-vision goggles. So whatever we must do, wherever it may be, we can do the job. It's nothing new."

Hill had a more immediate goal as he zipped his parka against the chill. His cheeks turned redder as he talked on a radio to counterparts at the base's air mobility control center. The C-17's engines were running now -- it was ready to go. In a few minutes, the huge transport would take off on its seven-hour flight to Bagram.

As the takeoff neared, Hill had no time to worry about events in other parts of the world that might change his life in the next weeks. The only thing he cared about was that he had a plane to launch.

"You can't really worry about the war (that might come)," Hill said. "If it comes, I'll be here to work it. If it doesn't, I'll still be here to work. I'll work no matter what happens."