Loadmasters: A night in the life of C-130 “mission hackers”

Published Aug. 5, 2007
By Capt. Teresa Sullivan
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- "Some people go their whole career without dropping in combat. Missions like this are few, far between - and very coveted," said Master Sgt. Larry Lambert, 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron senior loadmaster.

Excitement gripped one aircrew from the 746th EAS when they heard the news Friday they were going to do a combat airdrop. The grip got tighter when they got the final frag order for this particular mission - a leaflet drop over Basra, Iraq.

The crew's loadmaster lineup included Sergeant Lambert, who's deployed "too many times to count," Staff Sgt. Tommy Greeness, an instructor loadmaster who has deployed five times to the desert, and Airman 1st Class Zachary Kelhi, a mission loadmaster on his second deployment - and his first combat airdrop mission.

It wasn't the team's first mission together or their first over Iraq. Their experience ranged from two to 22 years and they were considered a team of seasoned professionals. That night began as most nights for the loadmasters. They woke up at about 9 p.m., got picked up by their pilots, headed into work and began "another duty day."

The night before, the loadmasters got together to discuss the sortie ahead of them.
"We talked about drop missions in our room for a long time last night. We did some research and I was able to share some experience from when I went on my first leaflet drop," said Sergeant Greeness, a San Antonio native.

When asking what the typical duty day in the desert entails for these loadmasters, Airman Kelhi described it as 18 hours on, eat, sleep, play Tiger Woods video games, study career development course material and then do it all over again. When asked what his best mission has been so far he said, this one would be it.

"This is my first airdrop," said the Fort Wayne, Ind. native. "I like to fly low tactical missions. Sitting in the window or flying with the doors open really means we're back here doing something (important) ... looking out the parachute doors is my favorite part of flying."

The team, all based out of the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, set off that night at about midnight, mentally prepared and ready for mission success. Anything less was not an option, according to Sergeant Lambert - at least not if he had anything to do with it. His job was to serve as the crew's mentor, passing along his wisdom and to make sure things ran smoothly.

Loadmasters are responsible for supervising cargo and passenger loading and unloading. They must calculate and pre-plan the placement of cargo, provide safety for passengers rig the loads and conduct airdrops.

For Capt. Jeremy Wagner, 746th EAS C-130 mission commander, what separates the good loadmasters from the great are those who "work hard, think ahead and have a mission hacker attitude."

"Loadies make the mission happen," he said. "They have the expertise for all things cargo. Pilots count on them to ensure the load is safe for flight - anything from hazardous material to passengers."

Loadmaster teams such as Sergeant Lambert, Sergeant Greeness and Airman Kelhi's are admired by Captain Wagner.

"I'm impressed by the way they take care of their own," said the Rapid City, S.D. native. "You have loadmasters from the age of 18 to 38-plus. The old guys do a great job of bringing the young guys along. They set the standard high."

As the crew departed the base they knew they had a short time before crossing into the airspace over Iraq where they had faith the pilots would work to elude the enemy as they prepared to make their drop.

"We stay in constant communication with the crew up front," said Sergeant Greeness.
He went on to stress the importance loadmasters place on staying focused and professional. They were fully equipped in flak vests, helmets, night vision goggles and harnesses for safety. "We'll have the doors open and can be shot at any time."

As the red jump lights in the cargo area illuminated, indicating the crew was 20 minutes from the drop, Sergeants Lambert and Greeness scanned the area for man-pads, gunfire or any other suspicious activity. Then with a blast of hot wind to the face as the door opened, Airman Kelhi looked over Basra's battlefield and there he made his first combat drop.

From that point on, Airman Kelhi joined Sergeants Lambert and Greeness in the ranks of combat airdrop veterans.

The crew then closed the doors, and it was on with the rest of their mission. The next stop was Balad Air Base, where they landed just before sunrise. Upon arrival they were met by a team from the Air Terminal Operations Center who let them know what they had in store. In this case it was three pallets of cargo, which meant they'd need to measure the weights and balances and configure the cargo area accordingly. Within minutes the team loaded the cargo and it was off to Baghdad International Airport. Although the crew was approaching the end of their mission and they had a full night of action, they moved with a sense of urgency at BIAP where they quickly unloaded the supplies and took on passengers headed back to the 379th.

Finally, the crew ended another 18-hour, expeditionary duty day, but with one more war story to tell.

"They were great," said Captain Wagner. "They had their business done way ahead of time. They did everything expected and more."