AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- The Defense Department began the rest and recreation, or R&R, program last September to give all service members a break from duty in Iraq. To date, the program is still going, and it's supported through the Combined Air Operation Center's Air Mobility Division here.
"The program is open to all services," said Army Lt. Col. Christian Blaber, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Center liaison officer. "The majority of them are Army so people think it's just an Army program."
The program is reserved for active or reserve personnel and DOD civilian employees assigned to a 12-month tour of duty within the CENTCOM area of responsibility supporting the Global War on Terror. R&R provides free travel to designated ports of entry in the United States -- Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and BWI -- and Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany for 15 days of rest and recuperation. The 25-year Army Reserve officer explained that his section's role in the AMD is to arrange intra-theater C-130 airlift to transport service members to and from the R&R in-theater hub.
"It's very difficult," he added about managing the duty section's seven day-a-week; 12-to-13 hour-a-day schedule. "We've moved about 150,000 troops so far, and we get monthly projections which tell us how many troops to pick up at each location."
"I also work with the 'requirements folks" who deserve all the credit," said Colonel Blaber. "This job is easier said than done because when an aircraft breaks down, it brings funny challenges into the equation."
Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Saltz, AMD Requirements superintendent, agreed."Nobody wants to wait " that's just most of the complaints," he added.
"People's blood pressure also goes through the roof when an aircraft breaks down, but it's rare that we don't have a troop make the rotator."
"We do whatever we can to get the troops back home. I get a lot of personal satisfaction in the fact that we meet 99 percent of the required delivery dates on our requirements."
Saltz explained the rotations are evenly scheduled to match in-theater transports. If they move 480 out of theater, 480 return to duty.
"The numbers vary each day," he said. "In AMD, we have about 60 U.S. as well as additional coalition aircraft. From that, we task about 48 "lines" every day."
"We plan early to plan twice because it's a constantly evolving process," he added, describing his three-person operation. "We're responsible for moving an average of 2,200 to 3,000 troops and 400 short-tons of cargo a day."
Blaber said his job may entail a lot of hours, but it is rewarding."I really don't feel the hours because I can see my results, and I can feel good because of that."
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2004 10:00 |
| Story ID: | 360 |
| Location: | AL UDEID AIR BASE, QA |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 23 |
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