Force protection mission vital to base Published Sept. 7, 2006 By Senior Airmen James Croxon and Kerry Solan-Johnson 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The Iraqi people gathering outside the gates here each morning are the best part of Staff Sgt. Michael Davis' day. "This is the job where most people feel like they're really contributing something," said Sergeant Davis, 332nd Security Forces Squadron force protection, who is deployed from Spandahlem Air Base, Germany. "The interaction we have with (Iraqis) isn't something most Airmen experience in Iraq." The Airmen who meet the Iraqis in the mornings are the catalyst for force protection's largest piece of the mission at Balad. That mission puts Airmen in direct contact with the Iraqi people.Each day Iraqis line up at the gate to be processed for work on various projects. They are searched, receive identification and are loaded up on buses to be taken to their work sites, Sergeant Davis said. Two Airmen typically guard up to 10 workers. As Iraqis fill sandbags and work on construction projects from total runway reconstruction to semi-permanent storage buildings, they are closely watched by Airmen protecting Air Force assets. This translates to long days in the blazing sun. "Force protection puts a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of these Airmen," said Tech. Sgt. Mason Poe, a reservist from the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. "Many (junior Airmen) are in charge of their own escort crews." Most Airmen volunteer for force protection duty, and often find the job is more than what they expected. "I'd actually rather be doing my normal job here, but getting to work with local nationals is rewarding," said Senior Airman Marques Caudle, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning apprentice deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. "You feel like you're making a connection with them." "I've learned more about the Iraqi culture than I thought I would," said Airman 1st Class Jacob Law, an intelligence Airman deployed from Hickam AFB, Hawaii. "I think many Airmen have a negative opinion of the Iraqis but never get to interact with them. We get to see them as kind people who just want to work, feed their families and help us rebuild the country."