Photo By Staff Sgt. Shayna Hodge | Three ground mobility vehicles sit on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Feb. 22, 2024....... read more read more
During a total force training mission in the Pacific February 22-25, 2024, the 326th Airlift Squadron strengthened interoperability capabilities with national and global partners.
With a mission focus of safe and efficient airlift of military personnel and cargo on a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the 326th AS, aligned under the 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, coordinated with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the U.S. Army, 25th Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 29th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Delta company, to pick up and deliver more than 10 25th ID members and their cargo, from Honolulu to RNZAF Base Ohakea.
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The cargo included three ground mobility vehicles and two pallets that contained transmission equipment for a U.S. Army aircraft. The transport of the 25th ID’s cargo and personnel supported a training exercise with New Zealand military forces intended to strengthen ground based drone operations.
“It’s been a great experience working with the New Zealand and Army forces,” said Maj. Brianna Zettler, a 3rd Airlift Squadron, active-duty pilot who served as the aircraft commander of the mission and who is slated to join the Air Force Reserve’s 326th AS. “Executing missions like this allow the Air Force to grow, because they provide perspective on what is going right or what can be done better when we work with other U.S. military forces and partner nations.”
Aircrew members, collectively called, Reach 797, included reservists assigned to the 326th AS and 46th Aerial Port Squadron as well as active-duty members from the 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
The aerial porters and maintainers teamed together to safely load the 25th ID’s cargo into the C-17.
Tech Sgt. Wilson Starks, a 326th AS loadmaster, said he was proud to be a part of the mission.
“It feels good to be trusted with an aircraft like the C-17 and ensuring everyone on the aircraft is safe,” he said. “I’m not only protecting military assets but people’s lives too.”
After the upload of the 25th ID’s ground mobility equipment, Zettler and co-pilot Capt. Andrew Bailey, 326th AS, flew nine hours from Honolulu to Ohakea. The flight hours supplemented the 12-hour flight the pair had completed from Dover AFB to Honolulu to pick up the 25th ID.
After landing at Ohakea Air Base, 1st Lt. Sal Barranco, the 25th ID’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems platoon leader, recognized the benefit of conducting airlift operations with the 326th AS.
“We’ve learned that loading our equipment onto the C-17 is a lot faster than how we normally move our equipment,” he said. “We wanted to test an expeditionary concept to expedite how we fight and move, which coincides with transitioning from the counter insurgency fight that we’ve been dealing with for the last couple of decades and moving toward large scale combat operations.
“We also wanted to strengthen our relationship with the Air Force; so, the collaboration and getting the opportunity to experience how quickly airlift can transport us and our assets has been great.”
Barranco also mentioned his appreciation for the interoperability aspect of the mission and how it showed young soldiers in his platoon how the military can work collaboratively.
On the Air Force side, active-duty member Senior Airman Michael Patterson, 736th AMXS avionics technician, said the mission was also a learning experience for him.
“This mission gave me a better understanding of reserve operations and how new solutions and ideas can result from active-duty and reserve personnel working together,” he said. “The reservists were really easy to work with, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to contribute to the mission.”
After the successful delivery of the 25th ID and their cargo to Ohakea, the Reach 797 crew started the C-17 back up again to make their way back to Dover AFB.
Reflecting on the mission, the co-pilot expressed his gratitude for contributing to a total force effort.
“As a reservist, this mission was a chance for me to experience what a real-world scenario would look like,” he said. “Coming straight from my civilian job to being a part of this mission has been amazing.
“Getting to work with and meet people from the Army and New Zealand forces has been inspiring, and I look forward to future missions that will allow for more joint operations between the 326th AS and other national and global partners.”
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2024 10:38 |
| Story ID: | 486915 |
| Location: | DOVER, DELAWARE, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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