Dover airmen deploy to staging bases for OEF support

RHEIN MAIN AIR BASE, Germany (USTCNS) --- Just a few months ago, this was a quiet base with no aircraft and about 150 personnel. Over the past three months, it has taken on new life, becoming one of six staging bases worldwide to launch missions into the Afghanistan region in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Like many staging bases, this one follows the hub-and-spoke concept, a joint effort by C-5 Galaxies and C-17 Globemasters, to keep a steady flow of cargo heading downrange.

"(The staging base) is like the center of the wheel, and aircraft are sent to many locations from this hub," said Col. Dave Estep, deployed here from Dover Air Force Base to oversee operations as the 437th Aerospace Expeditionary Group commander. "C-5s carry cargo here and may just swap the crew before heading on, but the C-17 continues most missions because it is best suited (because of the size of runways) for flying downrange."

To keep cargo moving, crews are sent to one of the six staging bases, which include Rota AB, Spain and Diego Garcia AB, British Isles.

"Crews flying contingency missions deploy with five bags, including chemical gear," said Col. Ken Carson, 436th Operations Group commander. "They're usually deployed between 15 and 25 days."

Since aircrews cannot fly more than 26 hours without a minimum of eight hours rest, they are placed at the staging bases to get rest before swapping out with another crew and heading out on another mission.

Although crews are not allowed to fly more than 150 hours over the course of one month, schedules are very demanding for aircrews. Senior Airman Sean Pyne, a reserve loadmaster assigned to Dover's 326th Airlift Squadron, said he was only home four days last month.

"Before I was flying the contingency missions, I would fly about seven or eight hours a month," said Pyne. "Now I'm flying around a 120 hours a month. At least 80 percent of supplies going downrange have been on a C-5 at one point or another. We pick up vehicles, supplies and troops and take them to the stage."

A typical aircrew is made of three pilots, two flight engineers and two loadmasters, although for contingency missions, another aircrew member is often required to go downrange - the Phoenix Raven. Ravens are security forces members who protect the aircraft and crews, who are also deployed to stage bases for mandatory rest before heading out on the demanding aircrew schedule.

"Ravens are busy all the time, not just when flying," according to Tech. Sgt. Micheal Badman, 436th Security Force Squadron. "When we're not flying, we're working security force patrols or we're flight chiefs or some other job. It's like two jobs in one."

Badman, who's worked with the Ravens for two years now, said the past couple of months have been incredibly busy.

"I keep pictures of my family with me, and wear the Saint Christopher (the saint of travel) medallion," he said. "Despite the long hours, having a direct impact in missions flying overseas is definitely something to be proud of."

Between four and eight C-5s are being launched here daily, in addition to numerous C-17s, however there are only 36 maintainers regularly assigned to the base. To keep the wartime surge running 24-hour capability, maintenance troops from throughout Air Mobility Command and Europe have deployed to staging bases.

Staff Sgt. Mark Girty, a reservist with the 512th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, holds three jobs when he's not working as a reservist, but volunteered for the 17-day maintenance augment assignment, which counts for man-days.

"I thought I was volunteering for Turkey, but the orders got changed at the last minute and I got sent here," said Girty. "Many people in my squadron have already been activated, so they couldn't volunteer. I'm just glad to be part of the effort."

"The augmentees usually come for 90-day rotations," said Maj. Dave Wright, 726th Air Mobility Squadron deputy commander. "Sometimes we'll get a large group of people from one base, or sometimes only one or two. AEF (Aerospace Expeditionary Force) deployments are still going on, in addition to Operation Enduring Freedom, and some bases can spare only spare a few people. We could not do (contingency missions) without the guard, reserves and U.S. augmentation."

It takes between two and three C-17s to carry the cargo of one C-5, so expeditionary units of C-17 aircraft and crews are also temporarily being assigned to staging bases.

Without staging areas, strategic airlift could not be achieved, and troops and supplies could not get to the war. The stage bases provide a vital piece to the overall mission, according to Wright.

"We're not at the on-load with mom and dad crying, and we're not at the offload with all the guns," said Wright. "We're the unsung heroes here in the middle."

(FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)