All vehicles drawdown to one office

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Schultze | Staff Sgt. Jennifer Anderson, 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management and Analysis flight technician, inspects a vehicle recently turned in from an organization on base. The VM&A flight has been tasked with collecting about 900 vehicles from Joint Base Balad, Iraq, to be transported to another location as the base draws down. Anderson is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and is a native of Kennewick, Wash.  

SALAH AD DIN, IRAQ

08.19.2011

Story by Senior Airman Amber Kelly-Herard 

332d Air Expeditionary Wing

SALAH AD DIN, Iraq - As Joint Base Balad transitions to the government of Iraq, the once-common white truck or van is becoming increasingly scarce.

The office in charge of ensuring there are fewer vehicles is the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management and Analysis flight.

“We don’t want to be thought of as the ‘bad guys’, but before we can all leave, we have to ship the vehicles out,” said Master Sgt. Steven Wochnick, 332nd ELRS VM&A flight non-commissioned officer in charge.

When the current VM&A rotation arrived at JBB in June, there were almost 1,000 vehicles at JBB. Each month they have reduced that number by 35 percent, leaving about half of the original 1,000 vehicles still in use. Their goal is to reduce the vehicles to 150 by the end of mission.

It is important to distinguish that vehicles include everything with wheels, not just non-tactical vehicles.

“Our biggest challenge is people not turning in vehicles on time,” said Wochnick, who is deployed from Joe Foss Field, S.D. “We have to receive the vehicles in a timely manner so we can start on the next month.”

Once vehicles are turned in, the VM&A flight inspects the vehicles. The inspection reports are then forwarded to Air Force Central Command, who determines whether to ship the vehicles or not. The flight also handles preparation for the vehicles that will be transported via plane, ship or convoy to another location.

“A drawdown of this many vehicles has never been done before, so it’s a big challenge for us to accomplish it,” said Wochnick, who is a native of Sioux Falls, S.D.

“It’s different from our normal day-to-day job,” added Staff Sgt. Jennifer Anderson, 332nd ELRS VM&A technician, who is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. “We are very busy and every day is something different with each vehicle. Each vehicle has a different scenario, because it is used for a different mission.”

Despite the necessity to drawdown, the flight still continues to provide customer service.

“We try to work deals that will benefit us and the customer, such as trading four vans for one bus,” said Anderson, who is from Kennewick, Wash. “Dealing with the customers and making them happy makes me happy.”

In addition to the drawdown efforts, the flight still carries on their other mission of ensuring all the vehicles on JBB are maintained.

• Date Taken: 08.19.2011
• Date Posted: 08.19.2011 04:09
• Story ID: 75604
• Location: SALAH AD DIN, IQ