Air Force trucking squadron brings U.S. out of Iraq

Photo By Jeffrey Allen | Vehicle mechanics from the 70th Medium Truck Detachment pose for a picture Oct. 30, 2011, at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.  

IRAQ

11.01.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. David Salanitri 

United States Air Forces Central       

IRAQ - To the moon and back about 400 times - that's how many miles airmen from the 70th and 424nd Medium Truck Detachment of the 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron have driven in Iraq since 2006 when they received the line-haul trucking mission from the Army.

As U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq and the end-of-year deadline approaches, the operations tempo of these Air Force combat truckers is only increasing. Every day there is a detachment of truckers on the roads in Iraq, hauling out everything from vehicles to cargo-filled shipping containers.

"After the Dec. 31 deadline, we'll still be here doing local missions, pushing cargo out to the ports," said Lt. Col. John O'Connor, 387th ELRS commander and native of Albany, Ga. "Right now the drive is to get as much cargo, [vehicles] and gear out of Iraq by the deadline. We went from having a few missions per month, to having [continuing] missions per month with only a 48 hour turnaround time per crew."

The squadron originally started off as a gun truck unit providing security for Army truckers, the mission changed in 2006 due to another requirement where the need was to truck cargo out of Iraq. The squadron flexed to accomplish the new mission and since then, their numbers speak for themselves.

In 2010, the squadron moved more than 576,000 tons of cargo, which was 68 percent of what Air Mobility Command moved in Iraq that year. To put that number into perspective for the flying community, it would have taken 6,680 sorties with a C-130 Hercules, or 2,228 sorties with a C-17 Globemaster III.

"My last deployment here, we only ran a handful of missions," said Senior Airman Robert Lee, a vehicle operator and native of Evanston, Ill. "I've been here for three weeks, and I'm already on my second trip."

Putting as many miles on the road as the squadron does, does not come without risk. Since inheriting the trucking mission, the truckers have gone through more than 430 attacks, including small-arms fire, roadside bombs and other threats.

Since 2004, the unit has lost five service members.

"We take what we do close to home," O'Connor said.

Tech. Sgt. David Perez has served multiple deployments to the squadron as well and is a convoy commander this rotation.

"Keeping everyone safe and bringing all of us home - that's my job." said Perez, a native of Santa Fe, N.M. "The threat is real and so is the deadline. We're busting our [butts], working long days with limited rest so we can accomplish the mission."

When the truckers set out on a mission, the convoy is massive and extends longer than the eye can see. The average convoy is roughly four kilometers long with 40 to 45 vehicles, about 75 percent of which are civilian tractor trailers.

"We typically run a convoy logistics patrol, which comprises 10 airmen with a tech sergeant usually in charge," said Chief Master Sgt. Matthew Wickham, squadron superintendent.

All of those fall under that sergeant, and he keeps the patrol and the civilian trucks moving while the Army trucks provide security, Wickham said.

"We're almost like shepherds, keeping track of the flock," Perez said. "We have to make sure they have the right cargo, and we're all where we're supposed to be and when we're supposed to be there."

Though vehicle operators may be the face of this unit, they're not doing the job alone. The squadron of 350 airmen comes from 10 different Air Force Specialty Code career fields out of more than 53 locations worldwide.

"Without our mechanics and folks back in the shops, we'd fail," said Perez, as he points to a mechanic working on his truck. "Having these people back here and on the road with us keeps us on the roads, and attacking the mission."

More than half of the airmen in the squadron are on their second or third deployment here.

"Our diversity adds to our strength," O'Connor said. "Our airmen come from different backgrounds, and many of them are returning veterans of this deployment."

As the Dec. 31 deadline creeps closer, it's crunch time for the truckers.

"So the deadline has been set," O'Connor said. “The missions are hot and heavy. It's a challenge we've accepted and are running with.”

• Date Taken: 11.01.2011
• Date Posted: 11.12.2011 05:45
• Story ID: 79947
• Location: IQ