SOUTHWEST ASIA – Senior Master Sgt. Mike Cumberland, a loadmaster with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, recently deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia from the 97th Operations Support Squadron out of Altus Air Force Base, Okla.
Cumberland, a native of Washington D.C., deployed to the 817th EAS, a C-17 Globemaster III flying squadron and joined a group of Airmen ranging in specialties from loadmasters, navigators and pilots. These airmen are what keep this highly functional squadron operating.
They work as a team flying thousands of miles to perform an array of missions around their assigned area of responsibility.
Equipped with C-17s, the 817th EAS transport and support coalition forces engaging in combat operations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, and they also operate in the Horn of Africa.
The squadron’s mission is to provide strategic airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation and humanitarian relief, to create an air bridge for personnel, equipment and supplies throughout the AOR.
Cumberland and members of his team fly missions several times a week, but some of them like certain parts of the mission more than others.
“My favorite part of our mission here is supplying the warfighter and mentoring our young airmen and NCOs,” said Cumberland. “I’m absolutely enjoying this deployment. I’m stationed at a training wing and it is pretty cool to see first-hand how well our former students are doing.”
This is Cumberland’s seventh deployment and he has been serving in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years.