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The sun sits low in the evening sky, bathing the flightline in a warm, golden glow. Down the tarmac, looming giants sit tall, their gray skin in stark contrast with the impending sunset. These are C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Their mission is to drop cargo, paratroopers and to fly with Bulgarian allies.
Next to these colossal aircraft, a figure can be seen. He is an instrumental part of the mission taking place here. He is a loadmaster from the 37th Airlift Squadron. He is U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Zatavious Warren, and his job is not an easy one.
As a loadmaster, he’s responsible for many aspects of the aircraft. Supervising uploads and downloads of cargo, vehicles and people, mathematically preplanning the placement of cargo, managing passenger safety and comfort, securing cargo and taking part in airdrop operations being chief among them.
“One of my parts in this exercise was coordinating between our forces and our Bulgarian allies, and also helping to coordinate our airdrops,” said Warren. “A loadmaster is important. We handle the weight and balance, fuel, cargo, passengers, the airdrops, cockpit display system, and others.”
Thracian Summer 24 put his, and many others’ skills to the test. Cargo drops, paradrops, low altitude flying, cargo uploads and downloads, and sorties were frequent occurrences. The Thracian exercise series is an annual to bi-annual exercise the 86th Airlift Wing has been executing with Bulgarian allies for over a decade. This year was no different, with Bulgarian and United States forces working side-by-side to accomplish the common goal of creating a more secure Europe.
The exercise was a great learning opportunity for Warren. It afforded him a chance to put his skills to the test in a joint environment away from his home station.
“I learned a lot about foreign relations,” said Warren. “We’re working with different agencies within the Air Force and the Army, as well as our host nation. We coordinated everything really well, and we worked as a great team!”
As the exercise came to a close, Airman 1st Class Warren loaded up the cargo and passengers on his C-130 back to Ramstein. Finally at cruising altitude, he strung up his hammock and took a moment to relax. This exercise may have ended, but partnerships continue — not only in Bulgaria, but across the entire European area of responsibility.
