MCT helping troops fly the friendly skies

Photo By Staff Sgt. Engels Tejeda | Sgt. Jason Arzt (left) and Spc. Marco Hernandez, both members of the 304th, prepare a flight manifest at the Tallil passenger terminal.  

TALLIL, IRAQ

05.19.2006

Courtesy Story

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CAMP ADDER, Iraq - Coalition frequent fliers are likely to have experienced some discomfort during their trips. They have to wait until the day before flying to find out whether their trips have been approved. Even then, there is no guarantee that they'll reach their destination either because of weather, technical difficulties or overbooking.
But those who travel in and out of Camp Adder, in Tallil, southern Iraq, have also come across one of the friendliest, most professional and customer-service oriented group of Soldiers managing travel in theater.

"This group of people is amazingly gifted at solving problems," says Capt. Thomas Jones of his 304th Movement Control Team. "We provide assistance for the movement of passengers and cargo throughout Iraq."

Though they have no control over the causes of the passengers" headaches, they manage to alleviate the pain.

"A lot of the people get upset, but we can't do anything about the weather," says Sgt. David Ng, a transportation coordinator with the 304th. "But if there's something that we can do for them, we'll do it."

They can't do much about flight schedules either. The flights are scheduled by an entirely different unit, which does not release them until a few hours before flight time for operational security.

And the pilots determine the amount of weight the planes can handle on a trip by trip basis, so the movement control team never knows exactly how many passengers will be able to fly.

What the 304th can do, and often does for its customers, is work with coalition pilots either from the U.S. Army and Air Force or the British and Australian military to assure that travelers get where they need to go.

"We work out all sorts of deals to make sure that people can get where they need to go," says Spc. Marco Hernandez, a movement control specialist. "A good day for us is when we can get everyone who wanted to fly on a flight."

Military commanders flying in and out of Tallil have taken note of the enthusiasm that Soldiers like Hernandez show while doing this mission. Last December, for example, a general coined Hernandez for helping his unit move some 5,000 troops out of theater.

The unit also received much praise for helping transport more than 140 pallets of supplies last February during the biggest tactical operation since the war in Iraq began.

Staff Sgt. Albert Munoz, who like the rest of the 304th had little training in helicopter loading and unloading, was instrumental in making the mission work.

Aside from these special missions, the 304th runs a 24/7 office that has assisted more than 14,000 individual travelers since the unit arrived in theater in October. Though they had no specific training in material handling, they have moved more than 15,000 pallets of supplies, a mission that usually involves three times as many people as they have.

It's not unusual for Sgt. 1st Class Gary Moore and Sgt. Marina Miller to be helping a customer find a flight at 3 a.m. or for Sgt. Jason Arzt to be loading a flight at similarly uncomfortable times.

Thomas says that the troops, all reservists and some on their second deployment, draw on their civilian and military experience. Staff Sgt. Steve Jackson, for example, served in Tallil with the Marines.

And Sgt. Regina Evans deployed for a year in 2003 to Kuwait and Qatar, while Arzt served two deployments in support of operations in Kosovo.

"These guys are very professional," Thomas says, "it makes the mission run smoothly."

That's not to say that they don't face their own share of personal adversities while in Iraq. Hernandez left for the deployment just seven days after his wife had their first child. And Jackson shut down his business; while Ng took a break from attending college.

However, the troops have figured out that by putting their best foot forward they are able to cope with their own deployment while making their customers" mission just a little easier.

• Date Taken: 05.19.2006
• Date Posted: 05.19.2006 04:36
• Story ID: 6438
• Location: TALLIL, IQ