SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. –
A significant milestone was reached Sept. 25 when the 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, commonly known as the MRAP, was delivered to troops supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom - an effort completed in considerable part by the men and women of Air Mobility Command.
Since MRAPs were introduced in 2007, AMC Airmen has been working around-the-clock planning, coordinating and executing air transport missions to rush the life-saving vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan. Using a variety of aircraft, including C-5s, C-17s and contracted AN-124s, AMC has transported nearly 3,000 - roughly one third - of the total number delivered.
Of the nearly 3,000 MRAPS AMC has transported, Team Charleston has shipped more than 2,800 of the vehicles.
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.
"Our Airmen are directly helping to keep our troops on the ground safer," said General Arthur Lichte, the commander of Air Mobility Command. "I'm extremely proud of them and their efforts to speed the delivery of this life-saving equipment to our forces."
The efforts of AMC's Airmen are part of a multi-service effort to quickly get the vehicles in the hands of troops on the ground. The Air Force was the primary delivery option for MRAPs until December, when the Navy also began transporting the vehicles.
"It's a great feeling to deliver MRAP vehicles to the theater because of the impact on safety it provides other service members," said Master Sgt. Bill Lesage, a C-17 loadmaster with the 14th Airlift Squadron. "At the end of a long duty day you really feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that the MRAP is saving lives."