Seven deployments, five years: Offutt linguist tells story

by 1st Lt. Susan Harrington
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

8/13/2013 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Seven deployments in five years, a feat not many can claim, but Staff Sgt. Chris can.

Serving as a career enlisted aviator on the RC-135 Rivet Joint, Chris has spent nearly 735 days deployed flying more than 2,000 hours with more than 400 combat sorties.

The Nashville, Tenn., native joined the military in 2006, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was an Army artilleryman during the Korean War. After his two years of technical training as a linguist, he was assigned to his first operational flying squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

Since the beginning of his operational career, Chris said, "I haven't stopped deploying!" The numbers bear that out, as he recently served a tour here at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.

While deployed, it was not uncommon for Chris to fly daily operational sorties over extended periods of time. The enlisted aviator flew and deployed often because of his unique ability as a linguist on the Rivet Joint. Unlike many career fields, linguists are unique in the fact that their job on the Rivet Joint is solely accomplished while deployed. For this reason, Airmen like him continuously rotate in and out of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

"Having a chance to do our job and knowing that it matters makes the deployments easier to manage," Chris said. "It's extremely rewarding to know that we're providing support to our ground troops that helps ensure their safety and successful completion of their mission."

Linguist's capabilities allow them to directly support coalition forces by providing an airborne scout, increasing their situational awareness and in turn enhancing their capability to complete the mission. Because their career field is in high demand, linguists see a lot of deployment time - most of it unpredictable.

"We don't fit into a normal AEF [Air Expeditionary Force] deployment cycle," he said.
We are enablers, and as such, we deploy more frequently and are away from home quite a bit, Chris said.

"Quite a bit," may be an understatement. In his just five years of operational service, Chris has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, missing four of five Christmases at home with his wife and child.
"Being a husband and a father certainly adds to the layers of responsibility we shoulder in the deployed environment," Chris said.

Through the challenges, however, his reward has been the many opportunities he has had including flying on 10 distinctly different airframes, from the Rivet Joint to the vintage Vietnam era Cessna 337 Sky Master.

As a young Airman, Chris had many responsibilities, operating often with a small crew in remote areas throughout the AOR. He and his team were required to schedule their own sorties, maintain their own equipment and track their flight information as aviation resource managers were not available in many locations. The responsibility he and others carried, although sobering, brought with it a great sense of pride and accomplishment for he and his team, Chris said.

Despite overwhelming responsibilities and a high operations tempo, the mission satisfaction and professionalism among the individuals with whom he worked made the time worthwhile, Chris said.

With the experience, opportunities and background throttling Chris forward, he has a right to boast of his accomplishments and revel in his war stories. But Chris is is appreciative of those serving with him.

"I am incredibly humbled at the opportunities I've had to serve my country and do it in a meaningful way," Chris said. "I've been even more humbled to have had the chance to work with a huge swath of members from other services, to see what they do, and to understand my place in the big picture."