Thu, 20 October 2005
We enjoy a nice breakfast in the hotel and the morning starts off great with the warm South Carolina morning. But, I forget that this is Charleston AFB and things immediately start going down the wrong path again. Base transportation cannot support us – or so they say – so we need to get our own taxi to the front gate. Then the aircrew is not due in to arrive until a certain time – without the aircrew to open up the plane, the amount of time required to load the cargo will definitely delay the takeoff. God – I have to go on another rampage regarding the ineptitude of this operation. Finally, someone notifies the aircrew loadmasters to arrive early and we finally start the cargo loading on to the new aircraft. I brief all key personnel on the load plan – the one I developed in submitting for this mission weeks ago. Finally, I think back on how many changes occurred and we are somewhere around Plan P – around 15 changes to the original itinerary!
Riding the Tail
Because of the close proximity of the helicopter’s tail to the C-17 ceiling, one of us has to ride the tail during unloading/loading to ensure it does not scrape the ceiling. For the loading portion, it was my turn and the Charleston crew looked up in amazement as I sat up there. In a bit of a twist, we actually moved faster on the upload and the load was completed in just about one hour. Finally, a retired couple we had talked to in the terminal comes aboard and we buckle down ready for departure.
Homeward Bound
Amazingly, one thing happens right during our stay here in Charleston – we depart EARLY. The flight is uneventful and we arrive home at 1800L. The loadmaster opens the rear ramp and the setting sun glows into our compartment as we taxi on the tarmac. I’m elated to see my home base's big three hangars – what a wonderful sight to behold on our long journey. We download the cargo and by 1930L we’re almost complete. We all need to return to the base in the morning to formally out process and complete the deployment. As we depart, I congratulate each of my load team members on a job well done. My mission is essentially complete and we’re basically done except for some paperwork – woohoo!
Locke’s Birthday
I get a hold of Locke and we have a late dinner at Red Robin’s – it’s his birthday and we have a great celebration! A cool way to cap off a deployment and long journey home…
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
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