Mail call! Airmen deliver goods for base personnel

Photo By Sharon Singer | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jermaine Williams, 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron mail clerk, sorts letter class mail, Sept. 22, in Southwest Asia. Williams ensures all the mail for the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and its tenant units is delivered quickly and accurately. Williams is deployed from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.  

09.27.2009

Story by Airman 1st Class David Dobrydney 

379th Air Expeditionary Wing

The final verse of a familiar song is "Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!" That applies to the U.S. mail getting to its undisclosed location in Southwest Asia as well. All mail sent to or from U.S. service members or Department of Defense civilians is handled by 15 Airmen assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron.

Staff Sgt. Roberto Rivera serves as postmaster. Deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, as a postal specialist, he works in post offices overseas and at deployed bases. He explained that mail on its way to Southwest Asia is gathered at a hub location for airlifting to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

An average day will see approximately 400 bags of mail for base personnel, taking at least three hours to sort for the more than 50 units. Over the past four months alone, the post office has processed nearly 30,000 pieces of mail.

Whether inbound or outbound, all mail is subject to inspection for prohibited items. Service members are responsible for the contents of any package they send or receive. Every package must have its contents declared on a customs form, otherwise, the recipient may be subject to disciplinary action if a prohibited item is discovered.

Rivera said alcohol is the most widely discovered prohibited item. "People have their family members or friends ship it," he said. "This is absolutely the number one item on the list [of prohibited items] as far as inbound mail is concerned." He said in regards to outbound mail, servicemembers sometimes insist on sending their chemical gear, such as gas masks, home. "This is a big no-no," Sergeant Rivera said, as controlled equipment must be maintained by servicemembers until it is turned in at their home station.

While Rivera has worked in the postal Air Force Specialty Code his entire career, the Airmen he supervises often come from other specialties.

"It is a special duty assignment; augmentees can come from any career field," Sergeant Rivera said. He added that Airmen who are unfamiliar with postal work when they first arrive doesn't hamper smooth operations. "They all have a good attitude, and that's the main thing," he said. "In three days, we have them trained and ready to go."

Staff Sgt. Larry Garner, a postal clerk deployed from Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., said that being deployed to a post office has been an educational experience.

"I originally worked in information management, so I only handled official mail back at my home station," Garner said. "Since I've been here, I've been able to see the full spectrum of postal operations. It's pretty neat to see how much mail comes through for deployed members."

Rivera agreed. "Everybody likes to get a care package," he said. "It goes a long way on long deployments." Working in the post office can have its perks, but not always. When the postal Airmen see a package for them among the incoming mail, they can't just pluck it out and set it aside.

"The MCA crew will tell me I have a box, but I have to wait until the next morning to get it [when the mail comes in for distribution]," Rivera said. "We have to follow the same procedures as everyone else."

Senior Airman Erica Hale, a postal clerk deployed from Misawa Air Base, Japan, said that she has seen all kinds of items being shipped back home, from souvenirs to things people don't want to carry on their trip home. Airman Hale has had customers at the end of their rotation ship things that, while not prohibited, are unusual. For instance, occasionally she'll find customers shipping dirty laundry home.

"It can get bad since we have to search everything prior to shipping," Hale said. "How would you feel if you opened a box and found someone else's dirty laundry? It's not pleasant."

But it's all in a day's work for these Airmen.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2009
• Date Posted: 09.27.2009 09:26
• Story ID: 39321