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What's a war without bullets?

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melissa B. White
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Sling shots and baseball bats don't quite make the cut when it comes to the weapons of choice nowadays. With the evolvement of wars and military capabilities in today's fight, the Air Force tends to think of what's bigger and better.

In places like Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Airmen walk around, work, sit, stand, eat, sleep, go to church, attend large gatherings and do an array of other activities with some things that should never escape their sides: their weapons and ammo.

"Anything can happen," said Staff Sgt. Robert Henderson, 451st Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron assistant NCO in charge of logistics and combat arms. "Back stateside, we don't wake up every morning thinking we're going to get into a car accident, but stuff like that happens, and the same goes for here with events we can't predict. It's better to have our weapons and not need them than to need them and not have them."

Within 24 hours of stepping foot on KAF, Airmen of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing are issued ammo for their rifle or pistol and are ready to go. Their weapons and ammo become their ever-present friends up until the last few hours remaining in their deployments.

"When and if called upon, we need to be able to defend ourselves and the rest of the base in the event of an attack," said Tech. Sgt. Robert Livingston, 451st ESFS NCO in charge of logistics and combat arms.

The two-man combat arms team here is typically responsible for accounting for and issuing most of the ammo carried by Airmen under the 451st AEW. Their inventory consists of four different types of ammunition, but they also have smoke grenades and white phosphorous flares.

The largest portion of their inventory is comprised of 9 mm rounds for M9 pistols and 5.56 mm rounds for M16 rifles. To support the expanding and shifting mission of the wing, they will soon have a reserve of nearly 175,000 rounds for the M9, and more than 940,000 of the 5.56 mm rounds. Though they don't issue that entire amount to the almost 2,000 Airmen at KAF, they have extra rounds allotted per weapon should the Airmen need to expend their rounds in defense in a similar fashion to how Airmen used them when there was a ground attack against the base in August last year.

"Both weapons have their benefits; the M9 is great for self defense, but the rifle is better for people who are out by the perimeter of the base because it has better accuracy and a longer range," said Sergeant Livingston.

Aside from issuing ammo and verifying their inventory, the combat arms Airmen also repair weapons, ensuring Airmen are always prepared to defend themselves or the base at any time. The duo has repaired nearly 60 weapons since they both arrived to KAF in the middle of August.

"Fixing the weapons is probably my favorite thing. I love fixing weapons and teaching," said Sergeant Henderson who briefs all newcomers a couple times a week.

One of the important things they mention to everyone is to always have positive control of their weapons - a major concern on the confined airfield which is busting at the seams with nearly 30,000 people from all walks of life. They also stress the seriousness of weapon qualifications to include the type of holster each person qualified with because familiarization is an important part of learning and could save lives when the training turns into a natural instinct.

"In the end, what it all boils down to is that there's only one person you can always rely on to protect yourself, and that's you," said Sergeant Henderson.

But for Airmen to be able to defend themselves in a hostile environment such as Afghanistan, they need ammo in the first place. What would a war be like if military members didn't have bullets?

"It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel," said Sergeant Henderson. "If the enemy still used the types of weapons they have now but we didn't have ammo, it'd be a lost fight."