Logistics reservists augment Ramstein Air Base, Germany Published Sept. 14, 2006 By Senior Airman Martin Moleski 445th Airlift Wing WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- With the escalating chaos throughout the world and recent deployments of more active-duty Airmen, reservists from Wright-Patterson are stepping up to the challenge and using their skills to accomplish the mission. Servicemembers from the 445th Logistics Readiness Squadron deployed to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 7-21 to boost a short-handed logistics squadron that has experienced recent deployments because of the unrest and violence seen throughout the Middle East. Reservists trained in the traffic management office, supply, fuels and vehicle maintenance. Air Force specialty codes deployed to fill positions in offices that were down to just one or two people, said Chief Master Sgt. John F. Bankowitz, superintendent of LRS. Chief Bankowitz, along with Maj. Donald Wren, LRS Commander, Senior Master Sgt. Robert Lopardo, and Senior Airman Anna Tracy, made up the advance party that went to Ramstein five days in advance to coordinate billeting, transportation, meals and administrative support before the rest of the 40 LRS reservists reported. The advance party worked at the command post in Ramstein, which was experiencing a rare heat wave that pushed temperatures in the office over 100 degrees, said Airman Tracy. Despite the heat, she said her experience in Germany was "a great training experience all the way around." The Traffic Management Office's responsibility during the deployment was for inbound and outbound freight and passenger service, said Master Sgt. Kelly Tomlin, NCOIC for TMO. If one section got busier or lacked the manpower, our troops would just switch roles and fill in where needed, she added. Sergeant Tomlin said her favorite part of the deployment was talking with the active-duty troops, many of whom had been in hostile areas, and to learn from their experience. With an approaching January Air Expeditionary Force, it was important to learn how things operate in Iraq because five reservists from TMO have already volunteered for the AEF, she added. With Ramstein staying so busy, having Airmen available to refuel aircraft is always important. Throughout the two-week deployment, six reservists from LRS Petroleum, Oil and Lubricant Fuels pumped about 19 percent of the daily issue, said Tech. Sgt. Georgia Ricketts, NCOIC Fuels. In addition to refueling aircraft, the reservists also handled receipts for liquid nitrogen and NATO fuel shipments. On the supply side, four reservists worked the War Readiness section and received hands on training with the Supply Automated Tracking System (SATS), a hand-held electronic tracking device, said Senior Master Sgt. Joann Russo, NCOIC LRS Supply. With SATS, the reservists handled and sorted A bags valued at $97,500, B bags worth $38,835 and C bags valued at $264,201. The reservists trained and worked in the receiving section off-loading, segregating, and in-checking property. As a result of their attention to detail and dedication, the team identified 175 real-world bags with expired shelf-life assets. While each section within the LRS has trained for deployments such as this one, sometimes the equipment or work is not fully available at Wright-Patt. "Wright-Patterson is mainly a contracted base," Sergeant Tomlin said. "But Ramstein, under Air Mobility Command, stays very busy and we had a greater hands-on experience." Reservists from LRS who did not participate in the Germany deployment will have a home station annual tour before the end of the year.