| November 4, 2004 Combat-Airman Hit A Million Convoy Miles Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen 332nd AEW Public Affairs BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq -- Pacific Air Forces combat Airman are part of a monumental milestone in Iraq - logging more than one million miles of convoy driving for mission throughout Iraq. "We assumed this mission in March," so you're looking at just seven or eight months worth of driving," said Chief Master Sgt. Kory Tytus of PACAF Logistics, who is currently deployed to the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here. "To do this in that amount of time is impressive," he added. Chief Tytus, 34 PACAF Airmen, and nearly 2,300 Air Force Airmen, are participating in convoy driving in Iraq protecting Army convoys and taking on other Army duties. The 732nd ELRS has three detachments that contributed to this milestone. One detachment is in Mosul, one is in Tikrit and one is in Balad. This group of about 500 Combat-Airmen are just the second rotation of troops to work this mission with the Army. Before deploying here they must go through training at Camp Bullis and Fort Hood, both in Texas and the Udari Range in Kuwait. Once in place, their rotations last six months. "It's a tremendous milestone," said Col. Eric Pohland, 732nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group commander. "It's a milestone that marks success in a mission, dedication to a mission and a level of effort that the Air Force has provided the Army." The Combat-Airmen have completed more than 1,100 missions during their time here. Contributing to their success are a few unsung heroes that make sure their trucks are up and running on all cylinders daily. "Our vehicle mechanics and welders are an important part of this mission," Colonel Pohland said. "They are working about 16-hour days turning wrenches, welding and trouble shooting mechanical problems. They keep us on the road." As they come up on one year of doing this challenging but rewarding mission, outsiders have to be impressed by the risks these Combat-Airmen face daily when doing it. The group has been awarded more than 70 Bronze Stars, five with valor, and more than 20 Purple Hearts. "These troops face IED attacks everyday, " Colonel Pohland said. "They also take small arms and other threats as well, but they are confident in themselves." "We've become very good at this mission," Chief Tytus said. "We probably have the most experience right now at doing this." If the Army was hesitant at first with trusting Airmen to such an important mission, their performance has only shown they are more than capable of pulling it off. "We've surprised them and the feedback has been tremendous," Colonel Pohland said. "There have been no hiccups." And others have taken notice as well. "Contractors are actually asking for (us)," Sergeant Deane said. "Because our guys are professional, they get the job done and know how important their mission is." Even though the Combat-Airmen have done an impressive job, they still believe there's room for improvement. "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." (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News Service) |
