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ROTA, Spain — Even before the sun rose over the U.S. naval station in Rota, Spain, personnel from the Theater Aviation Sustainment Manager-Europe were working on the mammoth task of off-loading a three-story cargo ship filled with critical equipment destined for Afghanistan.
The TASM-E personnel provided key movement support Oct. 25 to 27 to the Soldiers of the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade based out of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. The movement included an array of helicopters, containers and various pieces of cargo essential to provide continued support for Operation Enduring Freedom.
TASM-E, headquartered at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany, falls under the operational control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade, located in Kaiserslautern. TASM-E has the mission to provide field, sustainment and limited depot-level aviation maintenance to both aircraft and aviation ground support equipment.
Unloading the aircraft off the ship requires TASM-E’s unique expertise in order to ensure safe and efficient movement. The cargo ship is filled with stairwells, beams and steel support columns, making it difficult to unload and offload oversized pieces of equipment.
The Army helicopters from 3rd CAB were towed down the ship’s main ramp by TASM-E drivers maneuvering large tractors. Ground guides helped navigate the aircraft along a narrow throughway. The task was made even more challenging by ongoing construction in the naval station’s docking area.
Lt. Col. Tildon Allen, the commander for TASM-E, talked about the challenges TASM-E employees face when conducting a mission such as this.
“When we are discharging a boat like this, it’s loud, noisy and dirty,” Colonel Allen said. “You cannot become complacent over a long day that lasts 12 to 16 hours. People have a tendency to start getting tired toward the end of the day. You have to be really cognizant of that and really concentrate to remain safe.”
Using caution is imperative because any impact to the aircraft could result in thousands of dollars in damages. The TASM-E crew safely moved all the equipment off the ship to the airfield without a single incident – no equipment damages or personnel injuries.
Al Partain, a quality assurance representative for TASM-E, said this mission is a learning experience for the Soldiers of the 3rd CAB working alongside the TASM-E
personnel.
When Soldiers from a new military unit arrive with their aircraft and equipment, they want to get the job done quickly because they are relieving someone who has been downrange 12 to 15 months, he said.
“Some of these Soldiers are fresh out of Advanced Individual Training, and they have a thirst for knowledge,” Mr. Partain said.
The TASM-E personnel, who are mostly civilian employees, take pride in working with the young Soldiers and passing on the experience they’ve gained over many years of working with Army aviation assets.
A number of UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters, along with many other pieces of cargo, were moved to the airfield in Rota in order to begin preparations for the next leg of the journey.
This will require that the TASM-E crew continues to work alongside the 3rd CAB Soldiers as they reconfigure their helicopters for shipment. Many of the aircraft components will be removed and stowed when the helicopters are loaded onto U.S. Air Force cargo transport planes.
During the entire process, TASM-E employees are there to perform any needed maintenance. From the initial offload of helicopters and equipment from the cargo ship to arriving at their final destination, TASM-E prides itself on always being there to support the process.
