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Airmen from the 76th Airlift Squadron engaged in flight operations Feb. 21 through March 3 on four different continents across the globe.
The 76th’s mission is to provide safe, world-class priority airlift for civilian and military leaders and ensure a continuous aeromedical evacuation capability. The success of the simultaneous recent mission surge highlighted the squadron’s ability to meet mission requirements well beyond its normal areas of responsibility.
In addition to a 10-day C-21A mission to Africa and a combat deployment to Afghanistan, Airmen from the 76th AS also enabled Jacob L. Lew, U.S. treasury secretary, to travel to China for the G-20 Economic Summit on a C-40B.
In addition to transporting leaders, Airmen staged aircrew members at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, using a C-40B and C-37A to support both the operation in China and a stateside mission for Gen. Phillip Breedlove, Supreme Allied Command Europe and U.S. European Command commander, and to resupply the China-bound aircraft with both fuel and food.
Not only did Airmen deal with multiple factors that could have interfered with logistics but also the time difference around the globe. For a small unit of 110 personnel, this was a big task, but the team did not miss a beat, according to Lt. Col. Craig Lindstrom, 76th AS director of operations.
“The level of effort required to simultaneously plan and support operations on four continents, encircling the globe, was (impressive),” Lindstrom said. “Our aircrews are the primary conduit for the planning, but everything channels back through our squadron operations center. It was truly a team effort between the 76th AS and the 603rd (Air Operations Center) (distinguished visitors) plans shop.”
The challenges presented did not hinder the Ramstein team, as they are always “Forward, Ready, Now,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Mangan, 76th AS commander.
“We’re forward here in Europe to support (distinguished visitors) and to provide aeromedical (evacuation) capability,” Mangan said. “Being on four continents at the same time from a small unit at Ramstein is significant. We’ve never done it before, and we accomplished it with only 110 people, using four different airplane types at the same time, while also combat deployed and while providing 24/7/365 aeromedical ‘evac’ coverage for Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.”
