NCO supplies deployed Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Olufemi Owolabi
  • 376th AEW Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan --  A non-commissioned officer from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska ensures deployed Airmen have the supplies they need to not only be successful during their deployment, but ultimately helps them return safely from their mission.

Staff Sgt. Kishima Garcia, 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron, deployed to the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing's Expeditionary Theater Distribution Center where she supports the missin as a stock control NCO.

Sergeant Garcia and other Airmen at the ETDC focus daily to equip troops and ensure serviceability of the gear, which are vital to today's contingency operations.

The ETDC Airmen not only ensure service members on their way to Afghanistan are properly equipped; they ensure they render this service in no time and with a smile.

With the uncertainty of combat hazards downrange, the ETDC team know a high level of professionalism and timeliness can go a long way for every member passing through the ETDC as their last stop to the area of responsibility.

"Our job is to provide the equipment needed to protect the troops, this may be the last stop for most Airmen before they go in to country," said Sergeant Garcia. "We support everyone going to the AOR, and we make sure at least we put on a smile because you never know if the person is going to come back or not."

Regularly, the team processes hundreds of transiting Airmen going to Afghanistan. The lines are broken up into smaller groups to accommodate the workflow with as many as 50 personnel gong through the lines in less than an hour.

According to Master Sgt. Donald Scott, the superintendent of the shop, this is considered a small group. Sometimes the ETDC processes more than 200 Airmen in a single a day.

"We push service members in and out of the door to Afghanistan within 24 hours," Sergeant Scott said. "The effect of this is to reduce the workload for Airmen to carry the equipment from their home stations."

Airman 1st Class Jonathan Beckton, deployed from Holloman AFB, N.M., also echoed what his superintendent said.

"It is a good thing that we (ETDC members) are here serving these Airmen," he said. "If they get all this equipment from their home station, they will be carrying a lot of luggage. So it is easier for troops to come here, get their gear and go to the AOR. It also saves the Air Force thousands of dollars from shipping all the equipment."

Apart from serviceability and ensuring availability, they are responsible for an assortment of inventories of thousands of mobility gear, which include chemical defense equipment, cold weather gear, helmet, first-aid kit and individual body armor. Expired, or items not in compliance, are replaced or removed from the shelves when necessary.

"Every day here, we accomplish something because when we are not pushing the line, we are validating the shelf life or restocking the shelves," said Sergeant Garcia, who worked at the 354th LRS Logistics Group Logistics Operation Center at Eielson before deploying. "We are ensuring we are ready to go so the people processing through can get the necessary assets they need in support of Operation Enduring Freedom."

In order to make the job of maintaining the gear and equipping Airmen easier for the ETDC Airmen, they ensure all the bags are tariff-sized, which is the placement of every equipment or gear having the same size in the same bag. With the exception of real world foot wear, tariff-sizing provides the equipment to the users in a "ready-to-pick-up" state. They don't have to sort through an array of equipment all over the shop to find what they need.

"To process personnel in a timely manner, our bags are pre-positioned to reduce the turnaround time," said Sergeant Garcia. "The whole process can take about two hours depending on the amount of personnel going down range. Our ETDC personnel know the members we process are tired, so we try to make this experience as painless as possible."

According to Senior Airman Virginia Garcia, from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., on her way to Bagram, members of the ETDC here were very helpful and are knowledgeable Airmen who get the job done.

"They were all very friendly," she said. "There was no running around; they know their stuff. I asked them a question; they gave me a straight answer."

Knowing the importance of their job to the Manas mission and to the deploying Airmen, ETDC members take every task seriously with attention to details, ensuring they "leave no stone unturned" when inspecting and gearing up the Airmen because they know it is all about saving lives.