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Top AF logistician visits deployed Airmen

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jason McCree
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  "We have seven Air Force specialties who are all over the area of responsibility ... delivering the day-to-day combat capability that's needed to fight and win a war."

These were the words about Air Force logisticians used by Maj. Gen. Gary T. McCoy, Director of Logistics Readiness, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, during his visit to an air base in Southwest Asia Feb. 16.

This was the final stop on a tour of five bases in the AOR.

"The reason I am here is to ensure the LRS troops are able to provide their unique capability," said the General McCoy, who is responsible for organizing, training and equipping 33,000 Air Force logisticians worldwide. "I am thrilled to see young Airmen and officers, and even more senior LRS officers doing a great job here in the AOR."

Throughout the general's visit, he visited work centers around the 386th Air Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron including the aerial port, fuels, and vehicle maintenance shops.

"It was good to meet the Air Force's top logistician, and hear his vision on how we can enhance our combat logistics capability," said Maj. Christina Krag, 386th ELRS operations officer, deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany. "Our Airmen appreciated the general traveling here to see them in action in a deployed environment. The general was adamant that ELRS support is critical to the wartime mission."

As a deployed fuel storage manager here, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Roman is one of those Airmen who provide the support critical to the wartime mission. He had the opportunity to interact with the general.

"It was an honor to meet him," said Sergeant Roman, who is deployed from Pope Air Force Base, N. C. "We discussed my job, which is to receive the fuel and transfer it to the flight line, and then he asked me questions about my background. I enjoyed talking to him."

While here, the general also made a stop at one of the three Expeditionary Theater Distribution Centers. The center allows deploying Airmen to pick-up and return most of their required professional gear in-theater vs. having to carry it from their home station to the AOR and back.

"This ETDC is a standard for what we would like to see at our (deployed) locations," said General McCoy. "This type of facility is what we want to have at all of the combatant commands in which we are engaged in combat operations ... this will be a part of our planning during future conflicts."

Before departing, the general shared his thoughts on the importance of Air Force logisticians to a nation at war.

"Logistics Airmen know they are critical in the Global War on Terrorism - a war that we must win," said the general. "We must bring the capability to the table to support the warfighter."

"I would also like to point out our logistics readiness Airmen are the war fighters," said the general. "They are conducting the combat convoys; they are a part of imbedded teams working with other services; they are joint focused ... they are ready, willing and able to deliver what our Air Force leadership and the combatant commanders need."