C-17 stage crews at Manas ramp up support for OEF

Published April 30, 2009
By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis Hanson
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan -- Over the past five weeks, three Pacific Air Forces C-17 Globemaster IIIs have been flying round-the-clock missions from Manas to Afghanistan delivering special cargo in support of the Operation Enduring Freedom surge.

The "stage" operation set up at Manas included aircraft and personnel from 535th Airlift Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and the 517th Airlift Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The stage was established in order to expedite moving critically needed supplies to support the buildup of Afghanistan operations without interfering with missions already scheduled.

"We flew three missions a day, shipping T-2 matting that is used to build temporary aircraft parking ramps as part of the OEF build-up," said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffery Rooding, whose role while deployed here was C-17 stage manager.

"I worked daily with the planners and deputy directors to rapidly resolve issues as they came up," said Chief Rooding, the focal point for each facet such as maintenance, air terminal operations center and Tanker Airlift Control Center coordination, and aircrew issues. The command stage manager was deployed from Scott AFB, Ill.

The unofficially named "Manas C-17 Shuttle" played an integral role in the Expeditionary Mobility Task Force triangle delivery system to move special cargo delivered from Japan via contracted 747 cargo aircraft. In turn, the C-17 crews staged at Manas were tasked to take the cargo downrange for the buildup of temporary flight ramp areas at various locations in Afghanistan.

Once the cargo arrived at Manas, the ATOC team quickly offloaded the pallets.

"Without the support of the ATOC, the transfers wouldn't have happened," said Maj. Clayne Bradley, an Air Mobility Command liaison officer. "It was pretty amazing how we all came together basically from all over the globe to work this operation," said the major. "The flyers came from Hickam and Elmendorf, and we received air mobility support from Scott AFB, too.

"A great deal of effort by many people and over a dozen units, not to mention several nations, went into moving this cargo and we'd like to let everyone know what was accomplished in the end," said Major Bradley.

During this time, more than 5,280,000 pounds of cargo and more than 500 troops were carried down range. This was in addition to normal cargo and passenger movement operations that recently have moved roughly 20,000 personnel and hundreds of short tons of cargo each month from Manas to Afghanistan and back.

"I'm on the 'throw' side of the cargo that came from Kadena AB, Japan," said Major Bradley. "Of course, Manas was in the middle and the Bastion (Afghanistan) CRT (contingency response team) 'caught' those special pallets as they came in. It's kind of like throwing a baseball around the bases to get an out at home plate," he said.

Most of the cargo came from Marine Forces Pacific to support Marines deployed to Bastion. The "total force" effort helped improve, expand and establish multiple Marine expeditionary force airfields.

"This was something special because it helped stand up another FOB and plus up another," said Tech. Sgt. George Gaines, who is the ATOC noncommissioned officer in charge. "Any time a new forward operating base is stood up it is special to us because we know we made it happen by getting the building blocks for that infrastructure in place and on time," said Sergeant Gaines.

"No doubt the most satisfying part of moving this cargo was when the last aircraft departed carrying the last of the aircraft parking matting," said Sergeant Gaines, who is deployed from the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron at McChord AFB, Wash.

"It sounds cliche, but knowing we can put a 'mission complete' on our part of getting that equipment in place brings us that much closer to stabilizing the region," he said.

C-17 stage crew ramp up support for OEF