Colorado aerial porters deploy to Southwest Asia

by Staff Sgt. Nathan Federico
302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

9/11/2013 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Approximately 30 Airmen from the 39th Aerial Port Squadron left for a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Airmen will provide aerial port operations in support of U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia.

"We will take the mission we do here, the training we got here and apply it out there," said Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Shaw, 39th APS, air terminal operation center superintendent.

This is the fourth deployment in support of OEF for members of the 39th APS, an Air Force Reserve Command unit assigned to the 302nd Airlift Wing.

"The primary mission for us is to move cargo," said Senior Master Sgt. Caron Crowe, 39th APS, passenger services superintendent. "The first mission of an aerial port is to get necessary cargo to the troops at their down range location."

Aerial port operations consist of four main sections: air terminal operations center, passenger services, cargo processing and ramp services.

Describing his confidence in the Airmen to succeed in their mission, Maj. Royce Johnson, 39th APS operations officer said, "Our troops just flow right in there, they know their job and they do it well. I have no doubt they are going to do awesome."