WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- A team of 29 Airmen from the 87th Aerial Port Squadron, temporarily assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, won the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing team of the quarter for all of their work in the air transportation function.
“The majority of the 380th Wing’s accomplishments during this rotation came from the effective teamwork produced from the ATF,” said 1st Lt. Amanda Collins, installation deployment officer, 380th ELRS. “The team made a significant impact on this base.”
While deployed, the team, comprised solely of 87th APS Airmen, worked around the clock and coordinated several short-notice cargo movements, including an entire inbound fighter squadron, and two large, heavy outbound air frames to another base.
They also worked with medical and public health professionals to improve and streamline COVID-19 protocols for passengers, which were ultimately elevated to, and adopted at, the major command level.
In addition to mission requirements, team leader, Master Sgt. Justin Hunt, sought practical joint training opportunities in concert with the Army.
“They have some specialized equipment and vehicles that we don’t routinely see, but we would be responsible for preparing that cargo for military airlift and securing it to the aircraft floor using chains and devices,” Hunt explained. “We started brainstorming how we could help those Soldiers better understand our processes, and also how we could prepare our Airmen to support the Army if this type of mission were to happen.”
The exercise Hunt organized was so successful that Army leadership on the base asked the ATF team to construct a simulated aircraft floor training platform near their facility so that they could use it again in the future.
“We dealt with circumstances that no one anticipated or experienced. Those circumstances came fast and required not only a lot of hard work, but strategic thinking, which the team provided every day,” Collins added. “They executed the mission with integrity, humility, and had a clear focus on the objectives.”