Downrange: Our Airmen's perspective --- part 2 of series Published Jan. 14, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace 436th AW Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Rank/Name: Col. Eric Wydra Unit: 436th Airlift Wing vice commander Deployed Unit/Location: Central Command's Coalition Air Operations Center in Southwest Asia Describe your job at your deployed location: I was the deputy director of Mobility Forces (DepDIRMOBFOR). Our office consisted of the DIRMOBFOR, Brig. Gen. Tim Zadalis, another deputy, Col. Steve Rader and I. We advised Lt. Gen. Gary North, the combined force air component commander, on all things related to air mobility. This included airlift operations, airdrop ops, air refueling ops, aerial port ops, aeromedical evacuations (AE), contract air carrier ops, distinguished visitor airlift and mobility aircraft beddown issues. We worked both OIF and OEF air mobility operations. What was one of the most memorable experiences? From day one, I was amazed at how critical air mobility operations are to the war effort. Mobility sorties typically comprise 60-65 percent of the total sorties on the daily Air Tasking Order. On an average day, mobility aircraft will move 3,500 passengers and 700 pallet position equivalents. Mobility tankers offload an average of 3.5 milion pounds of fuel each day--enabling maximum flexibility and minimum response time for our Close Air Support and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft to respond to any servicmembers engaged in combat. When there are no nearby airfields or forward operating bases for ground troops to resupply, it isn't a problem--mobility C-17s and C-130s airdrop the needed supplies directly to the ground troops. Our AE response is so rapid that we are saving lives each day by quickly getting our wounded warriors to the best medical care in the world. Our Aerial Port infrastructure is so robust and efficient that, during my deployment, we never came close to exceeding port capacity and the vast majority of our cargo and passengers met their required delivery date. Our maintainers, dealing with an aggressive flying schedule, kept the aircraft flying while maintaining a mission capable rate that typically exceeded state-side mission capable rates for the same airframes. Simply put, our overall mission in OIF and OEF could not be accomplished without air mobility. How did your job at Dover prepare you or relate to your deployed duties? As we like to say, Dover is the center of the air mobility universe. Much of what goes on daily at Dover is also going on in the AOR. As a result, I was very well prepared for this deployment. How did Dover's airlift mission affect your deployed mission and/or quality of life there? It quickly became obvious that Dover's mission is having a huge impact in the AOR. Dover C-5s and C-17s are a common sight--delivering critical cargo and passengers throughout the AOR. Back at Dover, our Super Port is a critical piece of the logistics chain, especially for OIF. We would get daily reports on Dover Port levels, movement plans, etc.--the Super Port's execution was flawless. I also ran into a number of Airmen from Team Dover (we had over 500 deployed during my tour). What impressed me the most was their can-do attitude and the excitement they showed to be part of something bigger than themselves. I can also tell you that Dover's reputation in the AOR is second to none--the deployed leadership knows they can count on Dover to get the job done! Also, be sure to see our other Airmen spotlighted in the "Downrange: Our Airmen's perspective" series.