An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Airmen secure Air Force's busiest aerial port of debarkation

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The desert landscape stretches for miles, nothing but brown land and drab skies in every direction. The Airman shifts uncomfortably in his seat, adjusting his flak vest and wiping the sweat from his brow. The temperature outside is well above 100 degrees now.

As he listens to the steady rattle of the HMMV, he scans the perimeter. He must remain vigilant at all times. If an intruder were to breach the perimeter on his watch, the consequences could be deadly.

Guarding the U.S. Air Force's busiest Aerial Port of Debarkation in the world is a job every 387th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Airman takes seriously as thousands of troops and supplies transient the airport weekly.

"Our mission here of securing the busiest Aerial Port of Debarkation isn't something we take lightly," said Tech. Sgt. Charlene Gillman, 387th ESFS day shift flight chief, deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. "There is a lot of traffic in and out of here every day and it's up to us to ensure the safety of all personnel and equipment transiting the base as well as the safety of those who work here."

Senior Airman Stephen Fargher, 387th ESFS response force leader, said it's the U.S. Central Command-wide impact of his unit's mission that keeps him motivated to do his job each day.

"We have a lot of freight that goes through here," said the Eugene, Oregon native, deployed from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. "This is generally the launching pad for a lot of other deployments; so what we're doing is protecting aircraft so that the guys downrange get the supplies they need to do their mission and people get where they need to be. This is a great mission to be a part of."

Tasked with securing an entire installation co-located with an international airport, 387th ESFS Airmen must be versatile in a variety of positions from guarding the main gate and searching vehicles to flightline or perimeter security.

"At my home station it's more straight security whereas here it's more mobile patrols, working the gates and search pits, stuff like that," said Airman 1st Class Ehren White, 387th ESFS member, deployed from the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo., where he supports the North American Aerospace Defense Command mission. "I really enjoy my job here, working with good people; every day is a new adventure."

Working at a geographically separated unit, nearly an hour's drive from where they live, days begin earlier for 387th ESFS Airmen than most others here due to the commute.

"Our day usually starts pretty early in the morning," said Staff Sgt. Isaac Ciemnoczolowski, 387th ESFS area supervisor deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "We get our gear, have guard mount, bus over here, arm up and head out to our different posts to do our job. The days actually seem to go pretty quick as we're usually pretty busy. Then we bus back to 'The Rock' before starting all over the next day."

Sergeant Ciemnoczolowski, now on his ninth deployment, said that while this deployment might not be on the front lines of the war effort like some of his past experiences, he knows the mission here is just as vital and that he is making an impact.
"This deployment is a little more low-key in the sense that we're not being attacked [like some other locations further downrange], but at the end of the day we're still doing a great mission and its definitely making an impact downrange," said the Hastings, Neb., native. "Plus, we have a good group here which really makes the time enjoyable."

Sergeant Gillman, an Agana, Guam native, now on her third deployment, said one of her biggest priorities is ensuring her troops do not get complacent.

"Deploying to a location where you're not in the red zone being shot at or mortared every day you can become complacent more easily," she said. "But the threat is just as real here; it's still out there, so I try to constantly remind our younger troops of that fact. On that same note, I don't want them to think our mission isn't as important as those missions going on in Iraq and Afghanistan either. What we do here directly impacts those missions and is just as important. We're here for a reason and so we need to show up for work each day ready to give it our best. All-in-all I think our Airmen do just that."

With just about three months to go in their deployment, members of the 387th ESFS remain vigilant, tuning out the desert heat, sepia-toned landscape and heavy gear - there is no room for mission failure on their watch - only success.