JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Senior Airman Christopher Traphagan, 821st Contingency Response Squadron Aerial Port Flight, backs in a truck during Exercise Turbo Distribution 16-02, March 15, 2016, at Amedee Army Airfield Calif. Turbo Distribution is used to evaluate mobility operations and expeditionary combat support. Unlike traditional, simulation based exercises, TD provides a dynamic venue with scenarios designed to challenge participants executing complex operations in a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks/Released)

JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Senior Airman Dylan Saimes, 821st Contingency Response Squadron defender, looks down his iron sights while guarding an entry control point during Exercise Turbo Distribution 16-02, March 16, 2016, at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif. Turbo Distribution is used to evaluate mobility operations and expeditionary combat support. Unlike traditional, simulation based exercises, TD provides a dynamic venue with scenarios designed to challenge participants executing complex operations in a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks/Released)

JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Soldiers assigned to the 688th Rapid Port Opening Element stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., opens fire at the opposition force during Exercise Turbo Distribution 16-02, March 17, 2016, at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif. Turbo Distribution is used to evaluate mobility operations and expeditionary combat support. Unlike traditional, simulation based exercises, TD provides a dynamic venue with scenarios designed to challenge participants executing complex operations in a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks/Released)

JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Airmen with the 821st Contingency Response Squadron Aerial Port Flight, load cargo to the back of a truck during Exercise Turbo Distribution 16-02, March 17, 2016, at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif. The Joint Task Force Port-Opening team was deployed to demonstrate their ability to arrive at an austere airfield, receive airlifted cargo, move the cargo by truck to a forward location and stage it for distribution. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks/Released)

JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Senior Airman Tyler Connell, 821st Contingency Response Squadron Aerial Port Flight, guides a 10K all-terrain vehicle away from a C-130 Hercules, after performing an engine running offload during Exercise Turbo Distribution 16-02, March 16, 2016, at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif. During an engine running offload aerial porters offload the cargo while the engines are still on so the aircraft can quickly takeoff. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks/Released)

JTF-PO team hard charged during Turbo Distribution

Published March 23, 2016
By Staff Sgt. Robert Hicks
621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Airmen, Soldiers and officials from the Defense Logistics Agency recently worked hand-in-hand with senior representatives from U.S. Transportation Command to test and verify the ability of several mobility-focused organizations during Turbo Distribution 16-02 at Amedee Army Airfield, Calif.

Airmen assigned to the 821st Contingency Response Group, 621st Contingency Response Wing along with Soldiers assigned to the 688th Rapid Port Opening Element stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and officials from DLA deployed to the fictitious country of Sangala.

The Joint Task Force Port-Opening team was deployed to demonstrate their ability to arrive at an austere airfield, receive airlifted cargo, move the cargo by truck to a forward location and stage it for distribution.

The exercise featured C-130 Hercules sorties carrying real-world cargo, and also had increased realism through opposing forces and media.

"Throughout the exercise the aerial port flight performed exceptionally well," said Senior Airman Josefina Venneberg, 821st Contingency Response Squadron Aerial Port Flight. "All the Airmen worked well alongside the Army getting the cargo downloaded, processed and delivered."

Venneberg, who recently deployed to Cameroon, Africa for a JTF-PO mission, mentioned there were many similarities between the two.

"For both missions there were a lot of obstacles everyone had to overcome such as the weather changes," Venneberg said. "During both the exercise and real-world mission we had to find ways of working and coming together as a whole not just by sections to successfully accomplish the mission at hand. Working with the Army, Navy and Marines in Cameroon put a new perspective on the military as a whole and it helped set up the success that came out of Turbo Distribution."

U.S. Transportation Command Turbo Distribution uses a three tier scale when grading participants during the exercise. The three grades are untrained, partially trained and trained; the JTF-PO team received the highest grade of trained.

"Everyone participating in the exercise did an excellent job," said Capt. Lynn Grady, 821st CRS Operations Flight commander. "We really committed to preparing for the exercise before we left, performing walk-throughs of initial actions and capabilities once we arrived, and how personnel would integrate themselves in order to have the best impact on the mission."

"We also encouraged everyone to keep the big picture in mind, as opposed to just focusing on their functional areas," Grady continued. "We worked to broaden everyone's understanding of how all the pieces fit together. Having a complete CR mission mindset was extremely helpful to our success."

The JTF-PO commander raved about his team and how committed they were during the exercise.

"Our JTF-PO Airmen and Soldiers came prepared and overcame adversity," said Col. Tommy Seeker, 821st CRG deputy commander and JTF-PO commander. "They adapted to the unusual weather challenges and every scenario TRANSCOM threw at them. A hard charging, get-it-done attitude was demonstrated down to the youngest Airmen and Soldier. America's future is in good hands."

Contingency Response units are self-sufficient and can deploy with all the personnel, equipment and supplies to execute the mission. As a Global Reach Laydown force, the 621st CRW bridges the gap between seizure forces and follow-on sustainment forces. The CRW is prepared to execute the mission for up to 45 days, and once redeployed home are reconstituted within 72 hours and ready to once again answer the nations call.