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AL TAQADDUM, Iraq - U.S. Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen
work around the clock to sustain and improve the Task Force Al
Taqaddum Advise and Assist site at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq. Each
service and section plays an important role in ensuring the success
of this mission, part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
One unit
in particular is tasked with expeditionary air field operations.
Airmen with 321st Contingency Response Element are on the flight
line every night receiving the supplies necessary for Task Force Al
Taqaddum.
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U.S. Airmen with 321st Contingency Response Element offload a Humvee from a C-17 Globemaster at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, July 1, 2015. The 321st also has the capability to offload pallets up to 10,000 pounds using a forklift and can offload up to three pallets at a time using the 25k Halverson loader, during expeditionary airfield operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John Baker)
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The 321st Commander, U.S. Air Force Lt Col. Kyle A.
Benwitz, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, said his unit has
all the right capabilities for this mission.
“My unit
is the right size, trained and equipped to respond and open
an air base regardless of service, within 12 hours of
notification,” said Benwitz. “For the instance of this
mission, we were the right capability to deploy in very
short notice and what we bring is all the capabilities
required to open and operate an airfield.”
Benwitz
explained that once his unit is on the ground, they can
facilitate landing aircraft within three hours. There are
many different military specialties and specialized
equipment required for expeditionary air field operations.
Benwitz said their small team brings together all the
necessary parts to make the mission successful.
“We
bring a complete air field base operations support,” said
Benwitz. “We provide air traffic control, aerial port,
vehicle maintenance, aircraft maintenance and security
forces that can bridge the gap from initial deployment to a
sustained, enduring force.”
One of these airmen,
Senior Airman Daniel Eliza, from Springfield, Massachusetts,
an air transportation specialist with the unit, works a
12-hour shift each night alongside the rest of the flight
line personnel to keep aircraft loaded with supplies and
personnel rolling in to Al Taqaddum.
“We support the
mission by downloading and uploading cargo off multiple
aircraft to initially open and then sustain an air base,”
said Eliza.
Al Taqaddum receives its supplies from
massive transport aircraft like the KC-130 and C-17, along
with rotary and tiltrotor aircraft. Eliza uses heavy
equipment the unit brought to offload the supplies.
“We use forks and [10k all-terrain forklifts] which have a
lifting capacity of 10,000 pounds,” said Eliza. “We also use
a 25k Halverson loader which can lift can lift three
pallets, and 25,000 pounds.”
Though the bulk of the
airfield operations are done by these Airmen, Marines also
support the mission in several ways.
“This is a joint
environment that we're working in, and there are Marines who
will be driving material-handling equipment to assist with
the download of the rotary wing aircraft,” said Benwitz. “We
also have Marine security forces that augment our own Air
Force security forces to provide that 360-degree security
for the airfield.”
Eliza said he realizes that he
plays a crucial role in support of the Task Force Al
Taqaddum mission, but he knows there is a lot going on
around him that enables him to do his job safely and
effectively. Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground
Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command are responsible
for the long-term security and logistics at the site.
“The (security force) Marines are working hard and
making sure we're protected and safe while we do our job,”
said Eliza. “They're building up the base as well, and if it
wasn't for them we wouldn't be living in an air conditioned
tent right now, and wouldn't have showers or actual
restrooms.”
This unit won't stay at Al Taqaddum
forever. They will eventually be replaced by a more
permanent set of airfield operators as the base becomes more
established.
“We're a mobility unit—we get prepared,
we stand by until crises happen or emergencies or natural
disasters,” said Eliza. “When we get the call, we have our
stuff already packed and we head out the door to get things
done.”
Expeditionary air fields are the specialty of
the 321st Contingency Response Element, and once it is
relieved at Al Taqaddum it will begin resetting for its next
employment.
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. John Baker
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2015
The U.S. Marines
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