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Supplying the members in the fight

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan --  The 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron's mission is to move passengers and cargo in and out of Afghanistan.

Normally an aerial port squadron would be broken down into five major sections, but on Camp Marmal on Forward Operating Base Mazar-E-Sharif 16 airmen assigned to 455th EAPS detachment two have to perform a variety of tasks daily to include passenger services, special handling, ramp services and the air terminal operations center.

While Mazar-e-Sharif is primarily home to German forces and in Camp Marmal the EAPS Detachment 3 is tasked with loading and unloading every U.S. aircraft that that comes to the base. The detachment moves more than 2,600 tons of cargo and 2,200 personnel each month.

"We are not as busy as our counterparts on Bagram Airfield, but we process anywhere from one to 10 missions a day between the day and night shifts," said Staff Sgt. Garrett Ingram, 455th EAPS aerial port specialist, deployed from Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and a native of San Marcos, Calif.

When a plane arrives, the 455th EAPS airmen ensure it is safely parked on the ramp and then escort passengers off. Afterward an Airman drives a K-loader to the rear of the aircraft to unload cargo, which can include pallets or vehicles. The EAPS personnel also upload cargo to the aircraft as well.

A big part of the 455 EAPS mission is integrating with joint forces on the flightline to move people and cargo is Senior Airman James Harrison, a 455th EAPS aerial port journeyman on his first deployment from Charleston AFB, S.C.

"We support all the forces on Mazar-E-Sharif," said Harrison, also a native of Charleston, S.C. "We have moved cargo for the Germans, Turkish and all the U.S. service members even Coast Guard. Our mission here is important because items [people and cargo] don't really get moved without us."