JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Nearly 50 Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 36th Aerial Port Squadron (APS) and the 86th Aerial Port Squadron returned home from their deployments in various areas of the globe, last month.
These APS Airmen are transportation specialists who sometimes refer to themselves as “Port Dawgs”.
They provide military logistical functions to aerial ports, including processing personnel and cargo, preparing cargo and load plans, loading and securing aircraft, ejecting cargo and supervising units engaged in aircraft logistical operations.
From Afghanistan withdrawal to Haiti relief, many of these Airmen found themselves part of history.
Many major accomplishments occurred during Master Sgt. Jeffrey Cunanan, who deployed to the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, an 86th APS passenger service supervisor. Cunanan assisted with the movement of vulnerable Afghans, cargo and tons of supplies.
“We had an increase in workload due to the Afghanistan drawdown and needed to plan for an enormous amount of cargo coming in a short period of time,” Cunanan said. “We also helped with the fight against COVID-19 by transferring vaccine supplies that came through the port and releasing them to medical for base wide distribution.”
For Capt. Aumbirh Warren, the 86th APS Officer-In-Charge of PAX and Aerial Port Operations Squadron (APOS) who was deployed in Honduras for six months, her contributions and accomplishments came on the other side of the world.
At the request of the government of Haiti, Joint Task Force-Haiti supported U.S. foreign disaster assistance, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, to aid victims of a devastating earthquake in Haiti as part of a whole-of-government effort in mid-August to early September this year.
“I was part of a team of joint services members responding to Haiti,” Warren said. “We provided life sustaining logistics and we enabled over 70 lives saved, approximately 340 thousand pounds of humanitarian aid delivered, 477 rescues, and $32 million aid delivered.”
For Senior Airman Steven Jonasson, a special handling joint inspector for the 86th APS, believes humanitarian aid helps all walks of life, especially the most vulnerable, children, while he was deployed.
“We palletized and made ready for air transport tons of diapers to be sent to Afghan refugees,” said Jonasson. “I also conducted over 60 joint inspections, moving dozens of units and squadrons to help during Operation Allies Refuge.”
Staff Sgt. Christa Scott, a ramp load team chief for the 86th APS, was on her first deployment ever in the UAE for seven months.
“This deployment has made me exponentially better at my job,” Scott said. “I know other sections so much better as well as my assigned section. I’ve learned so many tricks of the trade and gained other ways of thinking and problem solving as well.”
Now that these Port Dawgs are home just in time for the holidays, they are happy for some downtime.
“The first thing I did when I got home was get some sushi and go fishing with my dad,” said Scott.
“I slept a lot, then I went skating,” said Warren.
Whatever type of rest and relaxation these Airmen partake in after their deployments, they all agree on what they miss the most: their families.
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.10.2022 20:19 |
| Story ID: | 411198 |
| Location: | TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 36th, 86th Port Dawgs return from worldwide deployments, by Edzel Butac, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
