87th Aerial Port Squadron prepares for deployment

  • Published
  • By Capt. Rodney McNany
  • 445th Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio - --  Twenty-three members of the 87th Aerial Port Squadron departed Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in April and another 33 are scheduled to leave in stages throughout May. Prior to their departure, the reservists completed various training requirements to ensure their readiness. 

"You have to be on top of your game when you go into the AOR (area of responsibility)," said Tech. Sgt. James Potter, a ramp and cargo handler. He speaks from experience considering this is his sixth deployment. 

"Even though we learn a lot of stuff on deployments, the AOR is not a training environment, nobody is holding your hand...you have to be proficient," said Sergeant Potter. He went on to say that being proficient gives you the confidence to handle the unexpected  "We see everything in the AOR." 

And then there is the ancillary training requirements. 

"Being proficient is paramount because we hit the ground running with as little as three days of turnover from the departing team" said Master Sgt. Robyn Wilson, unit deployment manager. 

"While training takes place all the time and we've all gone through SABC (Self-Aid and Buddy Care) and CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear & Explosive Incidence) mass casualty training, when you go through the training just before a deployment it takes on a little more importance. I think you pay closer attention...you may actually need to use this training," Sergeant Wilson said. 

Senior Airman Justin George echoed those sentiments. A prior service soldier, he has two deployments under his belt with the Army and one with the Air Force. 

"The training really opens your eyes to the reality of where we are going and the things that could happen. It prepares you mentally and with SABC and other training they are always coming out with new tools and techniques - all really good stuff, he said.

Readiness, according to Webster's Dictionary is the state of being ready- prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action. 

"That's why the hands-on portion of SABC is the most important element of the training," Staff Sgt. Casie Cain, 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, said. "You can read and talk about applying a tourniquet, but it's not the same as physically putting one and having a feel for it." 

The members are deploying for a four-month rotation as the lead APS for an air base in the region with additional members joining them from various units throughout the United States. The deployment will consist of the typical APS functions of air terminal operations, ramp loading and unloading, cargo preparation and pallet building, and passenger service.