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PTC Airmen give it their all to ensure mission success

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Allison Day
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTWEST ASIA --  On any given day there are hundreds of military members and civilians processing through the passenger terminal center at The Rock in Southwest Asia to fly to multiple destinations in the area of responsibility.

The process to get them to their destination is in the capable hands of the Airmen assigned to the PTC. These Airmen work methodically to ensure that passengers have what they require for their intratheater airlift flight to Afghanistan.

"I am responsible for making sure all passengers are signed up for flights and are adhering to guidance," said Staff Sgt. Dan Lackey, 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron who deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan and is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. "Also I make sure that all roll calls happen on time and those passengers selected for the flights have the proper sign ups and account codes attached to them."

Lackey, a passenger terminal supervisor, performs quality control for every flight to ensure that all the proper documents are collected.

One person who is new to the way that business is done at the passenger terminal is Senior Airman Chris Park who deployed from Joint Base McGuire-Lakehurst-Dix, New Jersey. Park has learned what documents he needs to collect from passengers.

"I need to verify that each passenger has the proper authorization to travel and everyone must have an identification card. We actually checked in more than 100 people," said Park, a passenger services terminal specialist from Brooklyn, New York. "Working here has been a great experience so far. The whole team has been helpful in training me on how I need to do the job."

Park spent the last three months of his deployment as a special handling joint inspector and is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with passengers now.

One of the passengers being serviced is Army Private 1st Class Christopher Roman who is deploying to Afghanistan from 127th Engineer Battalion, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

"Everything has been well organized," said Roman, a combat engineer and a native of Puerto Rico who left behind a wife and a three-month-old daughter, Sophia. "Security was good and everything went smoothly."

Once passengers are checked in, they have to process through security. In this case, unlike airports where you only go through security with a carry on, passengers must process through with all their luggage and equipment. From security, passengers drop of their bags for palletizing.

The baggage team receives hundreds of bags and pieces of equipment for palletizing.

"We build baggage and equipment pallets," said Senior Airman Jeremy Lemanski, 386th ELRS, mishandled baggage representative deployed from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. "When we're finished with the pallets, we transport the pallets to the flight line for uploading on the aircraft."

The officer in charge is Capt. Bernard Patenaude who deployed from the 715th Air Mobility Operations Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

"When passengers have turned in their luggage to be palletized the y wait in a secure area until it's time for their flight," said Patenaude. "Those who are redeploying will also wait in a secure area, but their process includes a check of their bags by a customs agent."

Patenaude is proud of his Airmen who work continuously to get the mission accomplished.

"The people that I get to work with every day and the amount of work that they contribute to the flying mission is the most rewarding aspect of my job during this deployment," said Patenaude. a Rhode Island native. "They truly are the hardest working Airmen on this base and a lot of what they accomplish goes overlooked because of how little outside organizations understand our job and capabilities."

Whether it's an Airman, Sailor, Soldier, Marine or civilian who processes through the passenger terminal center everyone is here to support Operation Enduring Freedom in multiple capacities. Nothing moves with the passenger terminal. The men and women at the terminal work diligently to get them all to their final destination wherever that may be.