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3rd APS moves out 82nd Airborne during the holiday

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. William Johnson
  • 3rd Aerial Port Squadron
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Members of the 3rd Aerial Port Squadron have leaned forward to help their Army Brethren get down range. Timely delivery of combat support material and troops are essential in expeditionary operations. The 82nd Airborne Division deployed last week in a build up effort in support of OEF Pre-Movement Training. The 3rd APS ensured safe handling and processing of more than 40 missions carrying more than 2,097 tons of cargo and 2,910 passengers in just 72 hours.

Pope is the hub for the XVIII Airborne Corps, 82nd Airborne Division, and Joint Special Operations Command in support of numerous operations and missions. Making sure 3rd APS can support Tanker Airlift Control Center taskings to deliver cargo to the warfighter is the job of Diane Kelchner and Master Sgt. Jeffery Cobb, capability forecasters for the 3rd APS.

"This tasking was considerably different from our normal operations in that it came down as a short notice real world tasking as opposed to our normal mission of supporting 82nd Airborne training missions," Sergeant Cobb said. "Another reason this tasking was unique was that it came down over what would have been an extended weekend for the New Year's holiday, yet members of the 3rd APS quickly responded and made the move our number one priority. The majority of the cargo was transported on commercial airlift as opposed to military airlift, posing yet another road block 3rd APS personnel quickly overcame."

"When we receive a short notice real world tasking like the OEF Pre-Movement Training of the past week, there was quite a bit of coordination required to make the movement run smoothly," Mrs. Kelchner said. "Once the Army receives their tasking, we help coordinate the weighing, joint inspections, load planning and actual loading of the aircraft. Based on the arrival and departure times, we can also talk with the squadron flying the military airlift missions and coordinate the load times. Once we have everything coordinated, hopefully the aircraft arrive on time and with no maintenance problems. For as long as 3rd APS personnel have been loading aircraft, each Airman knows what to do and how to do it safely. It doesn't matter if it's a commercial cargo aircraft or a military aircraft, we have the knowledge and the experience to adapt and overcome any situation that may arise."

According to Tech. Sgt. Derrick Evans, NCOIC of Air Terminal Operations Center, the missions went very well; the main concern was the safety of personnel and equipment.