Airmen roll past 1 million convoy miles
by Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
10/29/2004 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- The convoy escorts of the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron rolled over an impressive milestone recently when its Airmen passed 1 million miles driven for missions throughout Iraq.
“From my standpoint, it’s a tremendous milestone,” said Col. Eric Pohland, 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group commander, who is deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Ga. “It’s a milestone that marks success in a mission, dedication to a mission and a level of effort that the United States Air Force has provided the United States Army.”
This mind-boggling number not only tells how many Soldiers are hitting the pavement, but it also shows how often they are, he said.
“We only assumed this mission in March,” said Chief Master Sgt. Kory Tytus, “so you’re looking at just seven or eight month's worth of driving. To do this in that amount of time is impressive.” Chief Tytus is assigned to the 732nd EMSPTG and is deployed from Hickam AFB, Hawaii.
The 732nd ELRS has three detachments that contributed to the milestone. One detachment is in Mosul, one is in Tikrit, and one is here. And, Colonel Pohland said he is not sure many people in the group even know they have accomplished the feat.
“One million miles of line haul is a tremendous amount of work,” he said. “Truthfully though, I think the troops are so focused and dedicated to the mission that that number has frankly snuck up on them. They don’t care about 1 million miles; they care about executing their mission every single day.”
This group of about 500 Airmen is just the second rotation of troops to work this mission with the Army. Before deploying here, the Airmen must go through training at Camp Bullis, Texas, and Fort Hood, Texas, before heading to their final stage of training in Kuwait. Once in place, their rotations last six months.
These Airmen work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said Senior Master Sgt. Todd Deane, 732nd ELRS superintendent, who is deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.
“There is no typical eight-hour day out there for them,” he said.
The Airmen have completed more than 1,100 missions during their time here. Contributing to their success are a few unsung heroes who make sure their gun trucks are always up and running on all cylinders.
“Our vehicle mechanics and welders are an important part of this mission, and they directly contributed to our ability to hit 1 million miles,” Colonel Pohland said. “They are working about 16-hour days turning wrenches, welding and troubleshooting mechanical problems. They keep us on the road.”
Airmen in the group have been awarded more than 70 Bronze Stars, five with valor, and more than 20 Purple Hearts.
“These troops face (roadside bombs) every day,” Colonel Pohland said. “They also [face] small arms and other threats as well, but they are confident in themselves.”
If the Soldiers were hesitant with giving Airmen such an important mission, their performance has only shown they are more than capable of pulling it off, the colonel said.
“I think we’ve surprised them, and the feedback has been tremendous about how the Air Force has stepped up to the plate and executed its mission,” he said. “There have been no hiccups.”
And others have taken notice as well. Contractors are actually asking for Air Force escorts, Sergeant Deane said. “Because our guys are professional, they get the job done, and they know how important their mission is,” he said.
“I think we’ve hit a home run,” Chief Tytus said. “I don’t think we’ve hit a grand slam quite yet, but we’re close.” |
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