RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Air Education and Training Command recently honored a Randolph Airman who played important roles in air logistics planning for detainee operations in Iraq and in building a commandwide Taser program.
Capt. Michael Aamold, AETC Directorate of Installations, Logistics and Mission Support Security Forces Division chief of current operations, received the 2008 Outstanding Security Forces Higher Headquarters Company Grade Officer Award.
"I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment," said Captain Aamold, who has been stationed at Randolph for two years. "But I could not have done it without the help of the personnel I've worked with over the last year."
Lt. Col. Michael Rothermel, AETC SF Operations Branch chief, noted Captain Aamold's accomplishments during his deployment to Iraq as an air operations and staff plans officer for Multi-National Force-Iraq/Joint Task Force 134.
"Mike was very successful during his deployment as the air operations and staff planner in support of detainee operations," he said. "He championed airfield repairs and ensured the smooth flow of detainees. This joint operation was very demanding and was significant in our GWOT (Global War on Terrorism) efforts."
Colonel Rothermel also recognized Captain Aamold's contributions at Randolph.
"On our staff, Mike helped build AETC's less-than-lethal Taser program," he said. "We are the first to do this commandwide and will enable 1,500 of our security forces members with this new capability."
Colonel Rothermel said Captain Aamold's effort in standardizing the command's confinement program position "ensures the 20 effective and consistent memorandums of agreement on which our installations can depend."
Captain Aamold was deployed to Iraq from April to October and earned a Defense Meritorious Service Medal. He said the more than 80 detainee air transfer missions he helped coordinate involved moving 20,000 detainees from Camp Bucca to Camp Cropper.
"My responsibility was to manage the program - the air logistics piece - so that we had transportation for them," he said. "We would ask for our assets and coordinate with joint agencies and outside agencies."
In addition to supporting detainee transfer operations, Captain Aamold provided air support planning and logistics for the 45th and 50th Brigade Combat Teams' relief in place, transfer of authority.
"We processed 10,000 passengers over six weeks as the 50th Brigade Combat Team replaced the 45th," he said. "We provided travel into and out of the theater of operations."
Captain Aamold also coordinated more than 400 air support operations, distinguished visitor support and mission-essential Multi-National Corps-Iraq command, control and communications air travel.
He served as a key planner in Operation Lions Leap, which involved the relocation of refugees to a U.N. refugee camp in the Kurdistan Republic.
At home, Captain Aamold served as coordinator of the 2008 AETC Security Forces Symposium at Lackland Air Force Base while completing a master's degree in human resource management from Central Michigan University.
A native of Alexandria, Minn., Captain Aamold received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Minnesota State University-Moorhead and earned a commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at North Dakota State University-Fargo. He has also been stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Minot AFB, N.D., and Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.