CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The 841st Transportation Battalion hosted a special ceremony March 23 at the Naval Weapons Station Charleston's Wharf Alpha to commemorate the shipment of 10,000 Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles into the theater.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, as well as personnel from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic and local and state dignitaries.
Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., attended the event and recognized the professionalism and dedication involved on everyone's part in the safe, secure and efficient shipment of MRAPs.
"These lifesaving vehicles are proving their value every day in protecting our warfighters and keeping them safe," said General McNabb.
To date, Charleston AFB has shipped more than 3,600 MRAPs to warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
MRAPs are constructed with V-shaped hulls and a raised chassis design to deflect underbelly blasts, and have proven to be a lifesaver against improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and mines.
Since MRAPs were introduced in 2007, Air Mobility Command Airmen have been planning, coordinating and executing air transport missions to rush the life-saving vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Our No. 1 priority is to ship these lifesaving vehicles to our service members in harm's way," said Col. John Millander, 437th Airlift Wing commander. "The men and women of Charleston [AFB] have stepped up to this challenge and are delivering MRAPs in record time. We're not only meeting our goals, but consistently exceeding them."
Each MRAP flowing through Charleston AFB goes through a joint inspection by aerial port Airmen and contractors. Then Airmen accomplish a load plan to calculate weight limitations and proper center of balance. Finally, the MRAPs are loaded and strapped down on an aircraft and shipped to deployed locations.
The 841st Transportation Battalion and NWS Charleston Public Affairs contributed to this article.