INCIRLIK AIR BASE, TURKEY –
Roughly every 15 minutes, a C-17 or KC-135 from the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, departs for airfields and forward operating bases in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility, laden with cargo and fuel in support of Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. The 385th is headquartered at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, with missions operated primarily by deployed personnel from Joint Base Charleston - Air Base and March Air Reserve Base, Calif., with augmentation from several other Air Mobility Command and Pacific Air Force bases.
These flights, planned and executed by more than 400 deployed Airmen and civilians from Team Charleston and March, are the lifeblood of contingency operations for forward-based Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. This symphony of man and machine has relentlessly executed these types of mobility missions, unabated for more than nine years by the men and women of AMC, enabling our warfighters in the air and on the ground to apply constant and unrelenting pressure to deter the forces which savagely attacked the United States of America on Sept. 11, 2001.
While deployed as the 385 AEG commander, I have oversight of all AMC Theater Dedicated Airlift (TDA) and air refueling missions with assistance from my staff; Chief Master Sgt. Damian Fox and Capts. Dan McVay, Andy Allen and Jeff Fries. The group's mission is to provide dedicated combat mobility airpower - airlift, airdrop and air refueling, for the U.S. Central Command, Combined Forces Air Component commander. The 385th is a forward-deployed organization, a segment of the larger AMC effort originating out of CONUS-based cargo hubs like Charleston.
In 2010, the 385th AEG and its associated squadrons, who deploy for 120-day increments, airdropped a record 23,756 bundles of rations, fuel, building materials and ammunition to remote forward operating bases, enough to stretch from Charleston to Charlotte, N.C., if laid end-to-end. These airdrops are part of the longest sustained airdrop operation in history according to Lt Gen Robert Allardice, 18th Air Force commander, who visited the 385th AEG Jan 10-12. They airlifted a staggering 663.4 million tons of cargo and offloaded 58.1 million pounds of fuel via air refueling, all vital to keep warfighters based in land-locked and lines of communications-challenged countries adequately supplied with ammunition, supplies and foodstuffs to prosecute national command authority objectives.
The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Eric Carney, 7th Airlift Squadron commander from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., recently swapped out with the 4th Airlift Squadron, commanded by Lt. Col. Ira Cline. The 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is commanded by Charleston's Lt. Col. Todd Hohn, of the16th Airlift Squadron, who assumed command from Lt. Col. Reba Sonkiss of the 15th Airlift Squadron in November. Commanding the 90th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is Lt. Col. Chuck Assumma from March ARB who recently swapped out with Lt. Col. Kurt Driskill, also from March. These squadrons and their associated detachments are a living example of the capabilities of total force integration, the fusion of Air Force active-duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and civilian employees into a more capable and efficient Air Force.
It is the strong leadership exhibited every day by our squadron, detachment commanders and senior non-commissioned officers, which makes this work ... they get it, know what to do, and how to motivate their Airmen to safely execute these still very challenging missions.
Teaming together with host-base units to limit the footprint of the 385th while still executing the mission effectively is a hallmark of this operation, which traces its deployed origins to the now-closed Rhein Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany. The 385th relocated to Incirlik in June, 2006. Charleston airlift squadrons have traditionally deployed as the 816 EAS, and most recently assumed ownership of the 817 EAS.
We rely heavily on the base operating support at our operating locations, and thank the 39th Air Base Wing and 376th, 386th and 379th Air Expeditionary Wings, our mission partners, for all their support. We also work hand-in-hand with our global reach laydown partners in the Air Mobility and Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadrons who provide our aircraft maintenance, aerial port operations, and command and control networks, in addition to the professionals of the Combined Air Operations Center, manned in part by our fellow deployed Airmen from Charleston.
Ultimately, the most uplifting support we receive is from each other, our deployed "family" and our families back home. It is by far the greatest mission enhancer, especially over the holidays. There's no way we could be as productive without that love and support. Home station support agencies, the 437th Operations Support Squadron and 628th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and leadership in all of the active duty and Reserve wings are also a force multiplier. Collectively, the support they provide enables us to really focus on the mission out here.