JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq –
Since last summer, more than 240 Airmen from Lackland have been supporting the war on terrorism at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Combat medics, security forces, civil engineers, logisticians, first sergeants, chaplains and others are serving along side more than 8,000 Airmen from bases around the world in the legendary 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, the original home of the Tuskegee Airmen.
With a rally cry of "The Legend Continues" this total force team including active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen has achieved amazing accomplishments over the last six months while supporting the joint warfighter.
The Airmen of the 332nd AEW are spread throughout Iraq, either serving at one of three forward operating bases or supporting the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group in Joint Expeditionary Taskings with Army and Marine units at more than 60 forward operating locations. Force enablers, including engineers, communicators, transporters, security forces, and force support personnel, provide a wide range of expeditionary combat support capabilities.
The 332nd Expeditionary Mission Support Group has provided life support functions for more than 27,000 people, operating and maintaining 9,000 facilities, managing 1,600 vehicles, and providing oversight and direction on a $260 million Logistics Civil Augmentation Program contract, the largest in Iraq.
Operating the Air Force Theater Hospital, the equivalent of a level 1 trauma center, the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group maintained a 98 percent survival rate for wounded servicemembers. Medics also saw more than 500 patients a month, 20 percent of which are trauma cases in the emergency department, issuing 61,000 medical prescriptions, 40,000 individual labs and 8,500 radiology studies. At the hospital clinics, medics admitted 580 trauma patients, performed more than 1,000 operations, and saw over 26,000 outpatients.
For the first time, security forces Airmen are providing security outside the wire, working closely with the Army while patrolling an area outside JBB. Interacting with the local Iraqis on a daily basis, they are building trust and friendships as they provide a secure environment for JBB.
The quick reaction forces have denied the enemy freedom of movement with more than 600 patrols. Traveling 15,000 kilometers and covering 60,000 acres of battlespace, they found 43 unexplained ordnances and improvised explosive devices and detained 10 enemy forces.
The 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group is responsible for flying operations, overseeing day-to-day operations of three F-16 fighter squadrons, a MQ-1/MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial System squadron, a C-130 squadron, a combat search and rescue squadron and an air control squadron.
The group flew nearly 9,000 sorties, logging more than 47,000 hours including 5,000 hours of reconnaissance and overwatch support.
Additionally, more than 44,000 tons of cargo and 86,000 passengers passed through JBB, eliminating the need for dangerous convoys and keeping 8,000 off Iraqi roads and out of harm's way.
Finally, the 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Group supports coalition forces throughout Iraq by providing combat-ready aircraft and munitions to the air component commander. They provide aircraft maintenance, sortie generation, and launch, recovery and servicing support for military and commercial transient aircraft.
In only four months, the maintenance group performed 42 F-16 phase inspections and two C-130 home station check inspections. The group received 187 tons of munitions valued at more than $26 million. Additionally, they oversaw the Air Force's largest MQ-1 Predator fleet, launching more than 1,000 sorties defending key military and civilian sites throughout Iraq.
Although they missed spending holidays with their families, the men and women deployed from Lackland knew they were part of something much bigger than themselves by providing freedoms to the people of Iraq that many of its citizens have never had.
There is a long way to go and nobody knows what the future holds for Iraq, but you can be very proud of their many accomplishments. I know I am.