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Navy Reservists Provide Air-Cargo Handling Support for Marines

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061229-05
Release Date: 12/29/2006 10:56:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kenneth R. Hendrix, Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group Public Affairs

AL ASAD, Iraq (NNS) -- As 2006 winds down, Navy Reservists assigned to Navy's Mobile Air Cargo Handling (MACH) VI Team, headquartered at Camp Al Asad, Iraq, look back on their accomplishments in the first few months of an expected seven month deployment.

In a 10-week span from Oct. 6 to Dec. 14, they handled more than 900,000 pounds of air cargo inbound and nearly 350,000 pounds outbound for the Marines at Al Asad Air Base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The MACH VI was mobilized, trained, equipped and deployed by the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (Forward), and supports Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 16 by providing air cargo handling expertise in tracking and shipping high-priority aeronautical parts and equipment.

Lt. Cmdr. Hai Nguyen, MACH team officer-in-charge, leads this joint Navy-Marine air cargo handling mission.

"It's a great mission all around," Nguyen said, adding, "Not only do we get to contribute to the global war on terror but working alongside Marines is a rare opportunity most Sailors don't get."

The MACH team works every day processing inbound and outbound aviation cargo for the MALS 16 Aviation Supply Department, which directly supports Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced) flying squadrons, and other select 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) non-flying aviation units, at the main operating base and three forward operating bases (FOBs) in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar.

"As the main operating base for aviation supply operations in western Iraq, MALS-16 receives up to 15,000 demands a month for aeronautical parts and equipment and is only able to efficiently and effectively ship aviation cargo destined for the FOBs, and retrograde outbound unserviceable Aviation Depot Level Repairable (AVDLR) material, with the assistance of MACH VI," said Maj. Shaun McDoniel, MALS-16 aviation supply officer.

"Our job is to provide the right parts in a timely manner to keep aircraft mission ready to support Marines and soldiers on the ground," McDoniel said. "We rely on MACH VI's capabilities to bring cargo from the flight line to our warehouse and back to the flight line to ship gear and parts to FOBs throughout the province," McDoniel added.

According to Storekeeper 2nd Class Lynn James, when not deployed, the members of MACH VI, who all mobilized from the Navy Operational Support Center in Minneapolis, Minn., train closely with the Air Force 934th Airlift Wing in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. This prior experience enabled them to hit the ground running and to perform the various duties at hand in a timely and responsible manner.

"Before we got here we had already learned how to use material handling equipment and the Air Mobility Command automatic system, Global Air Transportation Execution System, which tracks cargo worldwide." James added.

"With four to five Sailors on the flight line on a daily bases, each person is responsible for about 7,000 pounds of hauling and transporting high-priority equipment," said Storekeeper 1st Class Jason Stephenson, leading petty officer.

"On a daily basis, we ensure that Assault Support Request (ASR) mission critical repair parts for MALS-16 supported units, which are the equivalent to a Navy casualty repair part, or CASREP, are shipped out in an expeditious manner to various FOBs throughout the Al Anbar Province," Stephenson said, adding, "We also check in, on the average, about 20,000 pounds of cargo a day."

Even though the Navy is a sea-going service, MACH VI understands its role in Iraq is crucial and needed.

"It's important the Navy is here adding value to the aviation logistics support mission the Marines are performing out here in Iraq," said Storekeeper 1st Class Nick Paris, assigned to MACH VI. "The Marine Corps is part of the Navy, and supporting them is part of our responsibility."

MACH VI is the sixth rotation of mobile air cargo handling teams trained and equipped for Operation Iraqi Freedom at NAVELSG headquarters in Williamsburg, Va. MACH VI mobilized in August 2006 and deployed in October 2006 for approximately seven months.

NAVELSG provides a range of supply and transportation capabilities, from cargo handling to customs inspectors for the fleet. As an expeditionary command, NAVELSG is under the new Echelon III type command, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). NECC was established in January 2006 as the Navy's expeditionary central management for the readiness, manning, training and equipping of expeditionary Sailors.