LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Though many at Lackland work diligently to protect the country from terrorism, those who deploy put their lives on the line every day supporting the Global War on Terrorism.
"For fiscal year 2008, we sent 925 Airmen out from Lackland," said Assistant Installation Deployment Officer Capt. Brian Stubblefield.
"That's not even counting the people who come here from other bases for aggregation or basic combat convoy course that deploy from here, too."
The team that works at the Deployment Processing Center said deployment is one of the most vital missions in the war on terrorism, and they work daily to ensure deployment goes as smoothly as possible.
"We prepare the individual and the units to go fight this war," said NCOIC of Plans and Integration Flight Master Sgt. Shon Moore.
"Everything in the way of training, equipping, making sure they have all the proper documentation and the items they need to go forward in the area of responsibility to fight the war, we perform here before they go forward."
Sergeant Moore has personal experience with deployment that gives him an appropriate perspective on what the Airmen will go through when they are deployed.
"I have deployed three times - two to Iraq and once to Afghanistan," he said. "I can assure you what we do here as far as training is crucial and critical to them being successful."
Captain Stubblefield said they have been working very hard recently to ensure maximum time spent with families before deployment.
"Before, you'd have to out process two weeks before your leave, and you'd go around to every office on base to do that," he said.
"Now, we've got it set up with us where the deployers come over here 90 days prior and out process all in one day. [This allows deployers to spend more time with their families.] To me, that's the biggest thing, the family readiness."
In addition to getting Lackland's Airmen ready for deployment, the 37th Training Group works on getting other bases' Airmen ready. "The Basic Combat Convoy Course involves anyone who is deploying into the area of responsibility [to perform convoy duties]," said Assistant NCOIC of Plans and Integration Flight Staff Sgt. Angela Warren.
"It's almost like an aggregation mission. Airmen from all over the world who require that training come here. Then Lackland receives them in the weekend of the graduation, and we provide them with whatever they need and get the airlift and push them out to the AOR. We're the last stop before they deploy, and we're the only ones who do this in the world."
Sergeant Moore said the work they do has the utmost importance in the Global War on Terrorism.
"If we don't do our job here, it's not only harder for them, but it's harder on the unit and their families," he said. "What we do here has a direct impact on the mission in the theatre."