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Vehicle support flight critical to bringing U.S. out of Iraq

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. David Salanitri
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command Correspondent
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia --  As Air Force vehicle operators from the 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron truck cargo out of Iraq in support of the Dec. 31 deadline, their support flight has been working to keep these vehicles on the road.

With more than 150 trucks and trailers in their fleet, maintenance is an around the clock job.

Walk into the vehicle maintenance garage, you will usually find Airmen at work, truck parts on tables and vehicles with their hood up. Look at a mechanics hands, and you'll see the hands of a person who works for a living as grease, filth and grime cover their hands like paint on a house.

"We're here to keep trucks on the road, and the mission going forward," said Staff Sgt. Robert Reich, a vehicle mechanic from New Albany, Ind. "By the time a vehicle leaves our shop, we want the driver to have full confidence in their truck. They shouldn't have to worry about anything besides their mission."

When this rotation of Airmen arrived here last month, they were accomplishing about 11 missions per month to Iraq and back. Currently, the squadron is averaging about 35 missions per month.

Now that the 387th ELRS are in sprint-mode to meet the Dec. 31 goal, the support elements are working around the clock.

"We have a day and nightshift in the maintenance shop," said Master Sgt. Gary Ferreri, support flight superintendent and native of Drexel Hill, Pa. "The truckers are driving missions at all hours of the night. We can't afford to not have the same work ethic. The mission can't afford it."

Keeping the trucks on the road is important, but successfully communicating with one another during the trip is just as important.

Trained in how to set up communications in the convoy, Senior Airman Robert Lee wears two hats -- vehicle operator and convoy radio technician.

"During my last deployment, I had radio training, so I volunteered for that extra duty this rotation," said Lee, a native of Evanston, Ill. "I'm not a communication's person, but I'm the first line of defense for troubleshooting."

Though a majority of support Airmen stay back on base during a convoy, a select few join the truckers, and become a vital part of the convoy.

"I'm out here to fix any issues a truck may have during a leg of the mission," said Senior Airman Christopher Barton, a vehicle mechanic who travels with the convoy, and native of Las Vegas. "If a truck is having an issue during the convoy, I'll get out, asses the issue and do my best to get that truck working and back and running."

The face of the squadron may be the truckers, but ask any driver and they will tell you how important their support elements are.

"I wouldn't leave on a mission without a maintenance Airmen with me," said Tech. Sgt. David Perez, a convoy commander and native of Sante Fe, N.M. "We could be stuck on a highway in Iraq, and the mechanic will get us out of that sticky situation. They're like Triple-A (American Automobile Association) ... if Triple-A carried M-4s (rifle)."