Al Asad aerial porters prepare for drawdown

Published June 2, 2010
By Senior Airman Jarrod R. Chavana
Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 532nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron transitioned from redeploying Marines deployed here to the upcoming drawdown of troops.

The 532nd EOSS Airmen provide round-the-clock logistics and command and control support capabilities that enables the senior airfield authority to conduct joint air operations for U.S. Air Forces Central Command officials, while providing movement of cargo and passenger to and from Al Asad Air Base.

"We have been more cargo centric over the past few years, now we have to realign our operation to become more passengers centric because of the drawdown," said Capt. Mark Klohr, the 532nd EOSS aerial port flight commander. "As part of the reduction of forces, we won't be filling 25 percent of our personnel as they rotate out, so we will be doing more with less people. But, because of changes we have made, we should be fine."

The squadron is moving the air terminal operation center from inside the terminal into a sterile area where the Airmen will be away from the plethora of travelers.

They have also brought aerial porters, who normally work in other areas and moved them into the terminal, so they can start working the passenger mission.

"Until recently, we only had one person per shift in the passenger terminal that manifested personnel on the aircrafts," said Tech. Sgt. Billy Byfield, NCO in charge of passenger services. "The drawdown will be one of the biggest redeployment moves since World War II and because of this we've become a six-man shop."

Al Asad AB is currently the only airfield in Iraq that has permission to use the commercial passenger program, Captain Klohr said. This program allows a commercial airliner to fly directly from the U.S. to Iraq.

"We have one of the largest runway in Iraq," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Catallozzi, the 532nd EOSS NCOIC of cargo. "This allows us to take the heavier aircraft such as a (Boeing) 747 or C-5 (Galaxy) and move mass amounts of (people) and cargo when needed.

"A C-5 can carry more than 30 pallets of equipment with a weight of more than 340,000 pounds and we can load the aircraft in about two hours," Sergeant Catallozzi said. "We are the UPS of the military system because we are the guys that deliver the packages big and small."

The shift from combat to stability operations is anticipated to be complete by the end of August with the redeployment of combat forces.

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Al Asad aerial porters