Getting Airmen home to their loved ones

Published April 15, 2015
By Tech. Sgt. Marie Brown
U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs

Southwest Asia -- No matter how long they have been deployed, Airmen look forward to returning home to their loved ones. A talented team of technicians takes time to arrange ticketing and transportation to keep the redeployment machine rolling.

The redeployment process is a team effort comprised of six sections under the tactical control of the Installation Deployment Officer. The IDO directs, controls and coordinates all reception and redeployment operations.

“Individually, the sections provide unique functional capabilities with the sustainment activity process,” said 1st Lt. Denise, IDO. “In the aggregate, they keep the beddown and redeployment process moving forward, assuring accountability of all incoming resources and seamlessness of redeployment activities.”

“By providing the right capabilities of personnel and equipment at the right time, the [wing] is able to continuously deliver decisive airpower today, as well as be prepared for the future,” said Denise.

The focal point for all reception and redeployment operations is the Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Logistics Plans office.

“Our mission is to get people out of the area of responsibility,” said Staff Sgt. Elizabeth, Logistics Plans. “We use the time-phased force deployment data and look at what missions are available, and then we plan who or what needs to go first or last. We plan what needs to go in and out, how it goes and what time. There is a lot of coordination involving a lot of agencies, but our office is the focal point.”

Processing a movement to get servicemembers home to their loved ones takes days of planning and coordinating.

“When you have a unit move, it normally takes up to two months just to plan out,” said Elizabeth. “For the one and two individuals, it’s a month of planning to have everything ready to go just in case something slips through the cracks.”

To accomplish the job of logistic planners, also known as loggies, there are special qualities one must possess.

“It is not just our office that makes redeployments happen,” said Elizabeth, currently deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. “You need to have good communication skills to coordinate with all the agencies involved. Attention to detail is a big one as well. Any little mistake and no one is going out the door.”

Other sections that are involved in the redeployment process include the air transportation operations center, personnel support for contingency operations, and unit travel representatives.

“Each member and each section in the redeployment process is vital to the success of the overall process,” said Denise, currently deployed from Grand Forks AFB, N.D. “Without one section, the redeployment would fail.”

The ATOC is responsible for all aerial port functions, which includes all passenger, cargo and baggage on- and off-load operations.

The Expeditionary Force Support Squadron PERSCO team is responsible for the reception control center, force accountability and in and outprocessing.

The UTRs oversee and coordinate their unit’s reception and redeployment actions for their unit commander.

Finally the traffic management office is responsible for managing aircraft and Patriot Express mission reservations as well as all commercial travel from aerial port of debarkation to home station.

“We get [servicemembers] home once they arrive in Baltimore, Md., or where ever their port of entry is once they get to the United States,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael, passenger and personal property NCO in-charge. “We deal with a lot of commercial tickets for both redeploying and for temporary duty assignments within the AOR. Our mission is very important when it comes to traveling within the AOR by other means than military.”

The time it takes to process tickets for passenger travel is shorter than an hour long lunch break at work.

“We actually got the process for issuing tickets down to no more than 45 minutes,” said Michael. “On this rotation, we have processed about 2,739 tickets. Of those, 73 were emergency leaves.”

Supporting the deployment and redeployment processes gives the Airmen a well-earned sense of satisfaction.

“It’s been a really good experience to be a part of the mission here,” said Michael, currently deployed from Fort Lee, Va. “We have done so much to help military members get home. Getting thanks from a service member who I helped get home is the most rewarding part of my job.”

The efforts of the team ensure that the well-oiled redeployment machine keeps humming along as the Air Force continues to take the fight to the bad guys, degrading and destroying Da’esh.

“Core values are at the root of their drive,” said Denise. “The team fully recognizes that they are the critical link in rotating forces in and out of theater in order to provide the Combined Forces Air Component Commander with transparent air supremacy in the ongoing air campaign. They accept nothing less than success.”

(Editor’s note: Due to safety and security reasons, last names and unit designators were removed.)