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Airmen hand over visitation operations at Camp Bucca

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shaun Emery
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CAMP BUCCA, Iraq --  A ceremony was held to mark the end of Air Force participation in visitation operations at Camp Bucca's theater internment facility as the Army assumed responsibility of the mission Aug. 10 here.

More than 120 Airmen from the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron were recognized for bringing detainees and their family members together.

Army Lt. Col. Brad Bishop, 168th Military Police Battalion commander, presided over the ceremony, handing out certificates of appreciation and coins to thank the Airmen for their service.

"I cannot tell you how much we appreciate the job well done by you Airmen out here," he said. "You had a tough mission. You came in contact with more detainees and civilians than the average person at Camp Bucca and executed well."

The 168th MP Battalion is responsible for day to day visitation operations. Along with members of the 887th ESFS, they are committed to care and custody of detainees with dignity and respect.
In 2008, more than 131,000 family members were re-united with loved ones by 887th ESFS Airmen. This year, more than 48,000 have passed through the gates.

Each morning, Airmen met families at the gate, searched them and escorted them to the visitation facilities. At the same time, detainees were processed and transported. Colonel Bishop acknowledged the challenges the mission presented and praised the Airmen for their performance.

"You had to use your interpersonal skills to conduct this mission and make it go smoothly," he said. "You had to adapt to changing situations with civilians and you've done that remarkably. Your commitment and can-do attitude and professionalism are above reproach."

Additionally, the Colonel explained that work done today will pay dividends down the road.

"Your impact will be everlasting at Bucca," he added. "Your impact to the society will be everlasting in Iraq. Your impact in care and custody to the detainees that came through visitation will make a lasting mark on those individuals. You will leave here as one of the most successful units to come through Camp Bucca."

The impact of winning hearts and minds was not lost on members of the 887th ESFS. Every morning, Senior Airman Vernon Boyd, 887th ESFS controller deployed from Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, was tasked with preparing the lists of detainees that would receive their two-hour visits that day. On some days, with more than 400 family members lined up at the gate, Airman Boyd said the job could be pretty overwhelming, but the benefits far outweighed any difficulties.

"A lot of these family members haven't seen each other in years," he said. "So it was important not to mess the process up or someone might have missed a visitation for that time."

The importance of spending time with family, no matter the circumstance, took on new meaning for the Airmen serving on his first deployment. While he worked mostly behind the scenes, occasionally Airman Boyd was able to witness the visits.

"There were times when I really missed my family. Being here has made me appreciate what I have back home. Some of these detainees may have done bad things, but as Americans we uphold a standard. It felt good to see them embrace, talk and see the kids running around playing."

Capt. Donna Porter-Simmons, Visitation Operations officer in charge, said Airman Boyd was just one of the many outstanding Airmen who ensured a successful mission.

"This is the best group of Airmen I've ever been deployed with, she said. "They come in motivated every day. While they were here, we had no issues with detainees or family members."

As the ceremony drew to a close, Col. John Williams, 586th Air Expeditionary Group commander, reminded the Airmen that it is their devotion to excellence that will pave the way for future operations.

"We quickly learned here in Iraq, our most powerful weapon is our values," he said, "our values as Americans and our values as Airmen. You all dealt with the Iraqis on a daily basis. And because you did so in a professional manner, treating all of them with dignity and respect, we earned their respect. That reciprocal respect is going to go a long way in helping the coalition forces accomplish their objectives here in Iraq. In the future they will be able to better negotiate challenges because of the work you did here."

Taking over for the departing Airmen are sister-service members from the Army. Although the Air Force held a large footprint in the operation, according to Colonel Williams the joint partnership between services from the start was the key to the successful program.

"All of our accomplishments would not be possible without the full support of our sister services," he said. "So to them, I'd like to say, thank you."