Aerial porters wrangle experience from ROUNDUP

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 512th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, GA --  Eighteen Reserve aerial port squadrons participated in 22nd Air Force's first aerial port ROUNDUP, March 13-15 here at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga.

A handful of squadrons have never attended a competition like the ROUNDUP, which was geared to test the capabilities of aerial port Airmen.

Among the Reservists participating in the aerial port competition for the first time were Senior Airmen Melanie Mangan and Michael Boehm of the 32nd Aerial Port Squadron, Pittsburgh. They joined other members of their unit with hopes to bring home a winning trophy.

"Everyone on the team who came here is on the list to deploy in 2010 to Balad (Air Base, Iraq)," said Master Sgt. Owen Meier, who served as the 32nd APS team mentor for the ROUNDUP. "This ROUNDUP is a good opportunity to show their stuff."

Throughout the course of the competition, Airmen Mangan and Boehm worked with the rest of their APS team members in various exercises, including passenger terminal operations, loading and offloading cargo from a C-130 with running engines, and a "Fit to Fight" competition.

Airman Boehm, whose aerial port specialty ensures cargo is safely inspected and air worthy before being loaded into aircraft, said the competition improved how he and his team operate together.

"Regardless of how we placed as a team, the ROUNDUP will make what we do in the real world much better," said Airman Boehm.

He shares a similar background with Airman Mangan, who also is participating in an aerial port competition for the first time. An Akron, Ohio, native, she had prior experience on active duty as a parachute rigger.

"I served as an augmentee for the aerial port on active duty and I liked the high tempo of the job," said Airman Mangan, who had previously been away from the Air Force for ten years. "I knew I didn't want to be a parachute rigger anymore and saw this job was available when I joined the Reserve."

Both Airmen Boehm and Mangan worked together with the rest of the 32nd APS team members to complete the mission and return home with a trophy.

Determined to win, the squadron worked through the graded scenarios and ultimately won first place in the Joint Inspection Exercise. Airman Boehm helped his team secure the win using his specialized training in inspecting cargo.

"I definitely learned a lot that I can bring back to the unit," said Airman Boehm. "The whole experience was a serious crash course in what we do as aerial porters."

Tech Sgt. Jeff Godfrey, 32nd APS team chief, said the ROUNDUP provided great training for his Airmen.

"When they walk away from this competition, they'll have a better understanding of what's going to be expected of them when they get to Balad," said "It's really all about the camaraderie and being part of a team."

With a trophy in hand and new experience under their belts, Airmen Boehm and Mangan head home with their team to share their ROUNDUP knowledge with the rest of their unit. As they deploy in 2010, they'll use lessons from the aerial port competition as the spurs whch move the mission forward in Iraq and beyond.