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By Master Sgt. Kimberley Harrison
U.S. AFCENT Combat Camera
HERAT, Afghanistan – Doing more with less has long been a way of life for Air Force airmen and Camp Arena’s aerial terminal operations center is a prime example.
Living the ‘One team, One fight’ concept, a six-man Air Force team, working jointly with two vehicle maintenance airmen and two Army personnel, conduct the hectic daily ATOC operations here.
Forwarding Support Base Camp Arena is controlled by the Spanish forces in Regional Command West and prior to August 2009, there weren’t any American forces stationed here so there wasn’t a need for an American ATOC unit.
After the arrival of the Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, it was determined Americans needed to stay so they could handle the influx of American flights, track cargo, load vehicles and ultimately get the cargo pushed out to units downrange. The Army provided two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Larry Morton and Sgt. 1st Class Hazel Trent, deployed from the 529th Combat Service Support Battalion, Virginia Beach, Va.
“When my brigade came here, our mission was the first mentoring mission in Afghanistan for a brigade combat team, so there were more American forces here than ever before in RC West,” said Morton, deployed from the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
A sudden increase in operations tempo with no additional help proved to be too much for just two people to handle.
“Before we got here, it was just the occasional U.S. flight, so the Italians and the Spanish were handling our stuff,” said Morton. “When we came in and brought all these additional people, flights picked up tremendously and after about four months there was just too much than the two of us could handle.
“We requested additional help, but our people (4th BCT personnel) are spread all over RC South and RC West. … This isn’t what we were trained to do, but we did what we had to do to get the job done.”
On one particular distinguished visitor mission, an Air Force survey team landed at Camp Arena and they immediately started asking questions.
“When they got off the plane and saw Americans, right away they asked what we do here and what our role is,” said Morton. “We were asked what we needed to make our operations run better so we told them we needed a support team here … within two months we had a support team.”
Prior to the arrival of the 451st Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, Detachment 4, there wasn’t an office to work from or computer systems to track flights which hindered mission effectiveness.
“He (Morton) made the request to put in an aerial port requirement,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Darren Wiwatowski, team chief, air terminal operations center NCOIC. “The group before us came to a bare base. They had nothing … no aerial port support except for a couple of vehicles and the two Army LNOs (liaison officers).”
“The Air Force brought all the systems we needed with them; the computer systems to track flights, to manifest cargo and to request flights,” said Morton.
Once the ATOC had additional manning and the proper equipment, operations were able to be handled smoothly and without delay.
“We’re collocated with the CATO (combined air terminal operations) of coalition forces for the Spanish and the Italians so our mission here is to make sure the personnel who are moving downward to forwarding operating bases are taken care of and processed,” said Wiwatowski.
Taking care of personnel is a very important mission for the ATOC personnel.
“We supply rations to the troops downrange,” said Wiwatowski. “By getting the rations and supplies that come in out to the FOBs as quickly as possible, we’re providing the means necessary to sustain a base and its assets.”
The ATOC, considered the hub of operations, comprises several unique functional areas working together to coordinate each aspect of moving people and cargo into and out of the base.
“We have six airmen doing the work of about 25,” said Wiwatowski. “We’re basically a jack of all trades, a master of none because we’re doing everything. We’re driving, we’re manifesting passengers, we’re manifesting cargo, we’re doing load plans and we’re running the k-loaders. … They are getting the whole aspect of being an aerial porter.”
Understanding this is not a "normal" deployed environment, the team works hard to ensure the job gets done.
“As team chief, I have to gauge my people to see if I’m running them into the ground,” said Wiwatowski. “I am very happy with the crew I have, their performance has been outstanding. It’s a young team, but they’re learning and they accept the challenges of operating in a deployed environment.”
Projects the ATOC team is working to ease operations for future deployed ATOC airmen include building a 40,000 square foot new cargo yard that will have a fenced-in, secured area which will increase pallet capacity by about 60 percent, according to Wiwatowski.
“We are a very multi-faceted career field and spread thin with multiple jobs to do with only six people so we’re really working hard,” said Wiwatowski. “We can train all we want, but until you actually get the real scenario, the real deal, it doesn’t really click, so this is the real deal, no stops here we go and let’s learn.”
His airmen agree they are ready for any challenge.
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2010 07:57 |
| Story ID: | 56386 |
| Location: | CAMP ARENA, AF |
| Web Views: | 300 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
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