Drexel Hill native concludes 20 year Air Force career by hauing U.S. out of Iraq

Photo By Jeffrey Allen | A U.S. Air Force M915 tractor from the 70th Medium Truck Detachment leads a convoy through Iraq with a load of equipment and supplies Oct. 30, 2011. With less than five miles left before crossing the Iraqi border, the convoy of 43 vehicles traveled 1,100 miles in seven days hauling equipment out of the country as part of an effort to meet the deadline for the U.S. military to transition out of Iraq.  

IRAQ

11.01.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 

United States Air Forces Central       

IRAQ - Master Sgt. Gary Ferreri, 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron support flight superintendent, recently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia from the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Ferreri, a native of Drexel Hill, Pa., has a job that allows for him to get out and impact Operation New Dawn in a big way - by overseeing the support operations that bring supplies out of Iraq.

Each day, Ferreri's airmen work to keep trucks on the road so the drivers can bring cargo, supplies and vehicles out of the country to support the withdraw of U.S. forces in the country.

"This will more than likely be the last deployment of my Air Force career," said Ferreri. "Getting to be part of the last days of New Dawn is exactly how I want to go out."

In recent months, the 387th ELRS has increased its amount of missions trucking out cargo from Iraq by approximately 200 percent.

"When we first got here last month, the squadron was averaging about 11 missions per week," said Lt. Col. John O'Connor, 387th ELRS commander and native of Albany, Ga., before going on to say that the squadron is on track to average about 35 missions per month.

• Date Taken: 11.01.2011
• Date Posted: 11.12.2011 05:02
• Story ID: 79937
• Location: IQ