U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Megan Hickey, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron washes a piece of equipment May 2, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Hickey, is part of a Central Command Materiel Recovery Element team that is responsible for identifying, storing and redeploying assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. Hickey is a native of Glendale, Arizona. and is deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Staff Sgt. Anthony Vasquez, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron day shift supervisor, identifies equipment containers May 2, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Vasquez, as part of Central Command Materiel Recovery Element helps identify, store and redeploy assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. The CMRE team has helped recover more than 60 pieces of equipment worth $1.66 million within the last eight months. Vasquez is a native of El Paso, Texas and is deployed from Travis Air Force Base, California. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Staff Sgt. Marcin Vande Hei, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Central Command Materiel Recovery Element NCO in charge identifies Air Forces Central Command equipment April 28, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Vande Hei, is part of a CMRE that is responsible for identifying, storing and redeploying assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. The CMRE team has helped recover more than 60 pieces of equipment worth about $1.66 million within the last eight months. Vande Hei is a native of Washington, D.C. and is deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Staff Sgt. Marcin Vande Hei, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Central Command Materiel Recovery Element NCO in charge identifies a piece of equipment May 2, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. As part of a CMRE team, Vande Hei is responsible for identifying, storing and redeploying assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. The CMRE team has helped recover more than 60 pieces of equipment worth about $1.66 million within the last eight months. Vande Hei is a native of Washington, D.C. and is deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Staff Sgt. Marcin Vande Hei, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Central Command Materiel Recovery Element NCO in charge lifts equipment panels May 2, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Vande Hei, is part of a CMRE team that is responsible for identifying, storing and redeploying assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. The CMRE team has helped recover more than 60 pieces of equipment worth about $1.66 million within the last eight months. Vande Hei is a native of Washington, D.C. and is deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Staff Sgt. Marcin Vande Hei, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Central Command Materiel Recovery Element NCO in charge guides a forklift May 2, 2014 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Vande Hei, is part of a CMRE team that is responsible for identifying, storing and redeploying assets to the U.S. or disposing of items located throughout the region. The CMRE team has helped recover more than 60 pieces of equipment worth about $1.66 million within the last eight months. Vande Hei is a native of Washington, D.C. and is deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va. (U.S. Air Force by Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez/Released)

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Logistics Airmen help save Air Force assets

Published May 6, 2014
By Staff Sgt. Evelyn Chavez
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Equipment is important as it helps Airmen perform their daily mission, a group of 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, contributed their efforts to save millions worth of assets here as part of the Central Command Materiel Recovery Element team.

The CMRE team recovered Air Force Central Command assets at an estimated worth of $1.66 million by collecting and returning identified critical items located throughout Afghanistan to their original destination.

"Our mission is to go around Bagram and all the yards, work with other units and collect Air Force assets" said Staff Sgt. Marcin Vande Hei, 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness CMRE non-commissioned officer in charge.

The process of identifying, storing, disposing and re-deploying items to the U.S. is CMRE's main mission. During the past years many valuable items have been used, moved and replaced; the purpose of CMRE is to make sure proper accountability of these assets is being taken care of.

According to Vande Hei this process is all about accountability. The biggest concerns for the team members are finding the assets here and at the forward operating bases and identifying which accounts they belong to.

The CMRE team does not act alone during the process, with the help of the Army, contractors, aerial port and Civil Engineer Squadron they ensure the items are either returned back to missions or shipped back to the U.S.

"At my base I typically work at the aircraft parts shop, but here I have had the opportunity to work with people from different units to include the Army," said Senior Airman Megan Hickey 455th ELRS CMRE technician.

"We are able to work as a team and develop a joint relationship."

Once the items are found and identified, they are stored until AFCENT disposition instructions are given. After instructions are acknowledged, Vande Hei and his team work to ensure the equipment is prepared and ready for movement after proper coordination with the other units.

With the efforts of the Airmen who have had their part in the CMRE process, many basic expeditionary airfield resources have been identified, collected, disposed of and rightfully returned which in return has saved the Air Force from re-purchasing these items.

"Right now we have shipped about a million dollars [worth of assets] back to the states, it helps the Air Force in terms of saving money and getting our items back where they belong" said Vande Hei.