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379 ECS post office sustains morale, mail flow

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clinton Atkins
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Southwest Asia --  A feeling of separation weighs on a young servicemember's conscience as he drifts into work sullen from the sparse communication from home typical with deployments. Upon discovering a letter on his desk, the once stoic expression emulsifies into an indelible smile. A tear escapes his firm demeanor as the written words sublimate into the soft, gentle voice of his wife instantly bridging the gap spanning thousands of miles. 

The 379th Expeditionary Communications Squadron Post Office here helps thousands of servicemembers stay in touch with loved ones everyday through the delivery of care packages and letters from home. 

"Our mission is to keep servicemembers morale up as much as possible by ensuring the delivery of incoming and outgoing mail as quickly as possible," said Senior Airman Nimani Brown, 379 ECS Post Office postal specialist and shift supervisor. 

The seven-man team recognizes the importance of staying in touch with family and friends so they make customer care their top priority. 

"The feeling you get when you receive a letter or package from family and friends is like medicine for the soul," said the Chicago native, deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "It makes the deployment easier on the servicemember." 

The morale boost is made possible by the combined efforts of the post office's three sections. 

The post office section receives items for delivery and inspects them for contraband. 

"We ensure every package and letter that comes through here has the proper postage and no illegal items amongst any of the contents," Airman Brown said. 

Once the mail is prepared for shipment, the Mail Control Activity section loads a truck and transports the cargo to an international airport in the region. From the same airport, the MCA sort the incoming mail. Five of the eight-man crew drive more than two hours to and from the airport everyday. 

"We are the liaisons between the customs agents at the airport and the base," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Urbanowski, 379 ECS Post Office MCA clerk. "All incoming and outgoing mail is routed through us for transportation to and from the base. 

"We handle anywhere between 50 and 100 pieces of mail that's outgoing and 200 to 300 pieces of incoming mail (each day)," said the Sutton, Mass., native. 

Once the MCAs retrieve the mail from the airport, all packages and letters are delivered to the Aerial Mail Terminal where every piece of mail is organized according to unit. 

"We handle all of the incoming mail, personal and official, for every unit on base," said Senior Airman Jonathan Collins, 379 ECS Post Office AMT clerk. "We also dispatch all forwarded and returned mail. 

"My job keeps me busy," he said. "It helps the time go by more quickly." 

It's going to get even busier, Airman Brown said. What the post office has experienced so far doesn't come close to what they're expecting for the holidays. 

"We're going to be really busy during Christmas time," he said. "A lot of things are going to be coming in and out of here." 

The three sections are gearing up for what will be their busiest time of the year. 

"I'm expecting it to be three to four times as busy," Sergeant Urbanowski said. "Normally we fill up one truck and from what I hear we'll be filling up three trucks." 

The post office will rely greatly on volunteer service during the holiday season. 

"With the holiday season coming up and with the amount of people we have in our shop, it will take longer for us to get the job done," Airman Brown said. "The more help we can get the faster we can get the mail out to the individuals." 

Volunteers will be needed starting in November, Airman Brown said. 

As an information manager deployed from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., Senior Airman Ashley Hanshaw knows how important it is to volunteer at the post office. Airman Hanshaw is a reservist on a voluntary postal service deployment. 

"The post office needs all the help it can get," she said. "Even if it's just volunteering for a couple of hours, that means a servicemember could get a package or letter today instead of tomorrow and that's a big difference when you're deployed." 

They could never be Santa Claus, but what the post office Airmen do day in and day out is the next best thing. 

"Everyone is always excited to receive a care package or letter from home," said Airman Collins, a Fergus Falls, Minn., native deployed from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. "It keeps us motivated and it gives us something to look forward to." 

The excitement on a servicemember's face reminds Airman Brown of the significance of his job. 

"When I see that smile on their face I know what I'm doing is very important," Airman Brown said. "The packages servicemembers send are valuable to their friends and families. It's my responsibility to ensure accurate and reliable delivery and I take that very seriously."