U.S. Marines with Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron (VMGR) 352, attached to the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force, Crisis Response, Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) took to the night sky, resupplying Marines forward deployed, 26 Aug., 2019.
The Air Combat Element (ACE) provides vital air and logistical support to Marines in forward positions. It does so accurately and efficiently, allowing the MAGTF to continually progress its objectives and avoid logistical shortfalls.
“These cargo drops are important because it gets the supplies we need to our Marines on the ground in a timely manner,” said Sgt. Shayne White, a VMGR-352 crewmaster. “We could use MV-22’s, but it’s much faster to come in high speed, quickly slow down, drop the supplies, close up, and speed back up and get out of there rather than having the aircraft land.”
Marines in forward locations cannot operate for extended periods without the diligent and timely work carried out by VMGR-352 day and night. Behind the scenes, hours of preflight procedures occur such as prepping the aircraft, briefing and training the crew, and loading the cargo.
“You always see the [supply] bundles or the personnel leave the aircraft, but you never see what happens beforehand” said Cpl. Gabriel Pletz, a VMGR-352 crewmaster. “It’s always the effort you put in ahead of time that makes those few seconds of the load exiting the aircraft worthwhile.”
SPMAGTF-CR-CC's effectiveness is enhanced by Marines like VMGR-352’s. Marines depend on a system of constant coordination between air, land, and sea operations to complete their missions. Without one part, the system is more vulnerable to shortfalls.
“My role in this mission is to safely and [quickly] rig the bundles to exit the aircraft” said Pletz. ”Resupplying Marines on the front-line is invaluable to mission success.”