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PERSCO Airmen maintain accountability across AOR

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Matkin
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  As the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 doors open, more than 200 Airmen make their way down the stairs and onto the flightline in Southwest Asia. They are split into two groups, transient (members going down range) and rotational, and directed into a building where they will be briefed. This is the beginning of their deployment in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

What these groups have in common is the requirement to pass through the 379th Expeditionary Mission Support Group Personnel Support for Contingency Operations.

The first part of PERSCO that members must process through is the Reception Control Center, who provides Airmen a briefing on base policies, such as mandatory wear of reflective belts during hours of darkness. Transient Airmen on the other hand, are briefed on necessary information about deploying down range, Master Sgt. Diana Gonzalez PERSCO dayshift non-commissioned officer-in charge, who is deployed here from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said.

Local aircrew must also emigrate and immigrate for every mission, although they do not receive the newcomer's briefing each time, Sergeant Gonzalez a native of Madera, Calif. said.

The final piece of PERSCO's mission is helping members process through immigrations and customs. Ensuring members have a copy of their orders is the most vital part of this step. The majority of people deported by the host nation are deported because they lack required orders, said Staff Sgt. Tessa Raybuck-Short, PERSCO Immigrations and Customs Liaison, deployed here from Hill AFB. Utah.

Sergeant Raybuck-Short who hails from Brockport, Pa., said that immigration rules are established by the host nation and cannot be changed.

The mission of PERSCO is the accountability of all personnel who process through this base to include rotational, permanent party and transient members, Sergeant Gonzalez said.

"Accountability is the most important part of PERSCO," Sergeant Gonzalez said.

"PERSCO comes through to keep people moving. They take the warfighter to the fight everyday; they are mission impacting," said Capt. Heather Sullivan, Manpower and Personnel Flight commander.

The PERSCO staff is responsible for in-processing, out-processing, manning assistance (including early release and extensions), AOR travel requests, emergency leave requests and duty status reports. They also support reenlistments by working with the servicemember's home station to complete paperwork.

"More than 115,000 reg-ular rotational and transient personnel are processed through PERSCO every year," Captain Sullivan said, who is a native of Kansas City, Mo.

PERSCO also helps members leaving the AOR on emergency leave and, Sergeant Gonzalez said, that is the most satisfying part of her job -- helping to get them clothes, lodging and other necessities so that they can get to the civilian airport and arrive home as soon as possible.

All Airmen deploying into the AOR have one thing in common -- they have all been processed in by the staff of the 379 EMSG PERSCO in Southwest Asia, awaiting the end of their deployment where they will process through again.