Supporting warfighters, one airdrop at a time

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Melisa B. White
  • 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  These Airmen fly -- in doing so, they help others fight and win.

Loadmasters from the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, deployed here from the 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., currently call Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, home -- most of the time.

Though Staff Sgt. T.J. Grover, 772nd EAS C-130J Hercules loadmaster, considers his typical schedule "erratic at best," he says retraining to this career field three years ago has been a rewarding experience and enjoys the variety from day to day.

"Every day is different because we never know what to expect," said the staff sergeant, who hails from Columbus, Ga. "With a desk job, people know they're going to be at a computer or doing paperwork for several hours, but we always come in to something different. We find out what our cargo is, we come up with a plan to put it on the plane and then we move it to where it needs to go."

These 16 C-130 loadmasters, who have been alternating four-month rotations here with others from Little Rock AFB since March 2009, are gone 12 to 16 hours a day in support of vital missions throughout the area of responsibility, to include cargo movement, aeromedical evacuations and airdrop missions. While getting the job done, these Airmen can transition through as many as five or six different airfields in one mission, just to do it all again 12 to 20 hours later.

In September alone, the 772nd EAS flew nearly 90 missions, generating approximately 300 sorties. They also moved more than 2 million pounds of cargo, 3,261 passengers, and completed nine airdrop missions.

"It's very humbling to have such an impact on the war effort," said Sergeant Grover. "Especially when you hear about people on the ground who have close to nothing, and we make their day if we even fly in something that's bare-minimum, but it's still a step above what they had. These guys at forward operating bases aren't getting stuff because they want it; they get it because they need it."

The airdrop bundles they export contain food, water and supplies that directly support the warfighters on the ground.

Sergeant Grover said one of his favorite parts about the job is doing airdrops because there aren't many jobs where "you get paid to throw stuff out of the back of a plane at 5,000 feet." One of his wingmen couldn't agree with him more.

"Airdrops are pretty awesome. On one of the missions, we sent about 20 pallets out the back and it was pretty fun to watch because the most I sent out back home during training was four pallets," said Airman 1st Class Rachael Orazine, 772nd EAS C-130J loadmaster, recalling her favorite memory as she wraps up this first deployment. "It's really nice, too, knowing that they're going to support the guys on the ground."

Loadmasters are typically responsible for performing pre-flight and post-flight inspections of the aircraft and its systems, loading and offloading cargo, and computing weight and balance to determine how cargo should be distributed.

These Airmen specifically work on the C-130s, but they say they wouldn't want it any other way. The C-130 is known for its ability to operate and transport cargo in austere and remote environments where larger cargo jets don't have the capabilities. The aircraft can carry a wide variety of oversized cargo, ranging from palletized cargo to tactical vehicles.

"It's pretty awesome seeing stuff come off a C-17 Globemaster III and then loading it up on our C-130 because we can do some things they can't," said Sergeant Grover. "It's like flying the hotrod of the cargo world."

Though they may not know what they're transporting, why, or where, one thing is for certain: the demanding mission constantly keeps them traveling.

"I knew I wanted to fly when I joined the Air Force," said Airman Orazine, a Gulfport, Miss., native. "When most people deploy, they stay in one place, but we go to a lot of different places."

During his past two deployments, Sergeant Grover, who has pinned more than 20 countries as a loadmaster, said his favorite place he's been was Pakistan.

"It's a place you need to have a reason to go - and we had a good reason with our job," he said. "And I like going to new places that most other people don't get to go."

No matter where this crew goes, though, they are constantly supporting the mission and representing the Air Force in the sky.