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Traveling troops load onto a C-130 before cargo is loaded.

ALI BASE, Iraq – In the heart of a combat environment, speed and accuracy are essential, especially with an aircraft. And though most cargo aircraft are relatively agile in the air, they are not while ground bound.

One team’s mission at Ali Base is to make sure those aircraft stay on the ground for as short a time as possible, and when they do take off, that the aircraft is packed with cargo.

The 12-person Air Terminal Operations Center team works around the clock to move passengers and cargo on and off the C-17s and C-130s which fly into and out of Ali Base –more than 700 tons of cargo and 4,000 passengers each month, according to Staff Sgt. Gregory Steffers, 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron load planner.

Staff Sgt. Joe Lankford, 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, uses a forklift to move baggage on an outbound C-130.

“Our mission is to meet each aircraft and provide them with top service,” he said. “We expedite all downloading and uploading procedures and get these aircraft back in the air. When we have no planes on the ground, we prepare cargo to be moved out, and transfer inbound cargo to distribution agencies.”

As a load planner, Steffers makes sure that each aircraft is fully utilized. He starts with each aircraft’s configuration – the physical number of seats available and the cargo space. He also has to take into consideration the passengers and cargo “booked” by Air Mobility Command on the mission – certain “must-move” cargo. After he determines what is left, he can move any remaining cargo or passengers waiting for the first available aircraft.

“My goal is to make sure each aircraft leaves here full,” he said.

The load planning aspect of the center is a highlight for another 407th ELRS member, Staff Sgt. Joe Lankford, deployed here from Altus Air Force Base, Okla.

“This is a great part of the job – I enjoy being in the middle of it all and solving problems,” he said.

“We have a group of people who excel in their job – that makes it easy,” said Steffers. “We do the same thing every day.”

One of those people is Senior Airman Randy Walgren, who, like Lankford, is deployed from Altus.

“I help achieve the mission because of my attitude and knowledge,” he said. “A big impact is the other members of the team – everyone in the ATOC helps, because we work as a team. Our mission here is more challenging than at home because here we are making a direct contribution to the Global War on Terrorism. Being at Ali allows me to be more exposed to all the aspects of my job.”

Lankford agrees.

“My home station is a training base and we help train loadmasters with cargo – here, we can see how the operation works. We load cargo and passengers with a purpose. This is real!” he said.

Working a real mission and being exposed to all aspects of the job make it worthwhile to Steffers, as well.

“It’s not uncommon for the same person to check in cargo, build it onto a pallet and then load it on the aircraft – often, these tasks are conducted by different work centers at home,” said Steffers

Other differences between operations at Ali and at home are night operations, the occasional dust storms limiting visibility, and the heat – with temperatures climbing into the low 100’s during the day, often the three logistics specialists may “feel the burn” more than at home stations.

“It seems pretty warm when standing out on the ramp, and when working behind a running C-130, the temperatures double,” Steffers jokes. “Well, it feels like they do, anyway.”

Despite those hot temperatures, the three are proud to be involved in operations at Ali, especially when considering the eventual impact – a democratic Iraq.

“Democracy seems to work for us,” said Lankford. “I would like to see everyone with the same benefits as Americans.”

Walgren is much more specific.

“I am definitely eager to help build a democratic Iraq. There are too many good people in Iraq striving for help. I see how the people here live, and I would never want anyone I know to live like that. I feel everyone has the right to vote and have freedom.”