Charleston active, reserve security forces deploy together for AEF tasking
While security forces deploying to PSAB may not seem like breaking news, this deployment was different, with squads made up of both 437th and 315th Security Forces Squadron members. The 437th is a Reserve squadron, the 315th is active duty.
"While reservists have been helping us out at home station since Sept. 11, this is the first time they've deployed to PSAB," said Staff Sgt. John Welch, 437 SFS unit deployment manager.
Welch said the most dynamic thing about this tasking was how fast they had to fill it.
"We received the tasking on Feb. 6 and had them out of here Feb. 8," he said. "Their original tasking was bumped up almost two weeks with less than 48 hours notice."
Fortunately, the Reserve squad recently completed training at Fort Dix, N.J., said Master Sgt. Richard Graves, 437 SFS superintendent of resources and training.
"We didn't send them over there unequipped," Graves said.
Capt. Kevin Stegall, 315 SFS commander, said he hopes the Reserve squad's involvement in this AEF rotation helps active-duty members recover from recent high operations tempo.
"Hopefully our 13 guys give somebody else a break," Stegall said.
One military couple benefited greatly from the Reserve squad's involvement. Technical Sergeants Kenneth and Pamela Tobin, both members of the 437th SFS, were set to serve alternate AEF rotations, with one replacing the other at PSAB.
"I was listed on the team to swap out," Kenneth Tobin said. "Fortunately that didn't occur right away."
Tobin said he and his wife have been deployed in several exercises together, which can make things difficult when their three children are factored in. Thanks in part to the reservists, mostly volunteers, the Tobins may not have to spend 180 days at a stretch separated from each other this year.
Besides helping out their active-duty counterparts, the deployment gives 315th SFS members an opportunity to experience the "real thing," according to Senior Master Sgt. Terrell Stamps, 315th SFS first sergeant.
"Usually they're doing this for two weeks, and sometimes they deploy for 90 days, but it's not in an active-duty mode," Stamps said. "The benefits of doing this jointly with their active duty counter parts from the same base is training and deploying together. It better supports the Air Force Chief of Staff's teaming concept. It also gives them a better insight on the overall mission."
Since the Reserves were activated to augment active-duty forces here after the Sept. 11 attacks, having them around has become business as usual.
"It's almost seamless now," said Senior Master Sgt. Frederic Richardson, 437th SFS operations superintendent.
Welch echoed Richardson.
"It's like we're all one big team," he said. "We don't think 'he's 315, he's 437' anymore. We're all security forces."
(FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
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