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***image1***Jeannette’s husband, Senior Airman David Gabe, has been in Qatar for
four months. She misses him terribly but knows this is how the military
works. This is reality.
Today, though, she exudes happiness. On this hazy Monday morning in
May, Senior Airman Gabe is returning from his first deployment and
Jeannette is “very excited.” Along with dozens of others, she waits at
the tree-laden compound of Ramstein’s 32nd Air and Space Operations
Center to welcome approximately 50 Airmen who are returning from
Al-Udeid Air Base.
Moments later, applause erupts as a big blue bus rolls past the green
iron compound gates. Twenty-five khaki-clad Airmen step down, many
visibly weary from the long flight. Senior Airman Gabe, sunburned and
smiling, firmly embraces his wife.
“It feels really, really good to be back,” he says.
When he left in early January, Senior Airman Gabe was one of more than
140 people from across U.S. Air Forces in Europe (including members of
the 152nd Air Operations Group and the 616th Air and Space
Communications Squadron) to deploy in support of ongoing Global War on
Terrorism operations. As a communications specialist, his job was to
keep networks safe and running. But as a team, the AOC was up to much
more.
According to Col. Peter Castor, 32nd AOC commander and downrange
Combined Air Operations Center deputy commander, his team took part in
some serious support operations. They were part of the planning and
airpower support for Operation Swarmer in Iraq, which required detailed
coordination with the U.S. Army and ultimately led to the capture of
over 90 insurgents.
They also oversaw 24-hour air support to counter sectarian violence
following the February bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra.
“Together as a team, the deployed members ensured proactive and focused
CAOC operations, yielding phenomenal air power support to OIF/OEF
ground commanders,” Colonel Castor said.
Members of the 32nd also worked as part of a Joint Search and Recover
Cell, which has helped to save more than 70 lives since January. And,
according to Maj. Cindy Stein, chief of joint rescue operations,
the Ramstein-based JSRC also played a big role in a very high-profile
venture.
“Deployed JSRC members combined with Ramstein JSRC to assist in the
repatriation of Ms. Jill Carroll (a reporter for the Christian Science
Monitor who spent nearly three months in captivity),” said Major Stein.
“Many people were involved (outside these agencies) in her
repatriation, but the JSRC played a large part in assisting with Ms.
Carroll’s return.”
Colonel Castor also praised the members of the 32nd who stayed behind.
“During the deployment the home team was kept extremely busy,” he said.
“With 60 percent of the unit down range, the home team accomplished a
$17 million upgrade to the Falconer AOC weapon system. This was on top
of daily ops and exercise. (It was) truly a magnificent
performance.”
Ten minutes after the first round of returnees, Capt. Jose Jimenez
arrives at the AOC compound on a second big blue bus. He crouches down
and shares a giant hug with his two daughters, six year-old Annie and
three year-old Megan. At Al-Udeid, he served as an intelligence duty
officer in the combat operations division, coordinating intelligence
exchange between different intel folks and bringing it to the
operations floor.
Now, he says it is good to be home.
“My family is great,” he says. “And so is the sense of accomplishment.
It is huge to be able to say we helped some of the guys on the ground
(in the GWoT).”
Captain Jiminez’s wife Ruth is also pleased to have her husband home.
As a school teacher at Baumholder, though, her joy is tempered with a
bit of perspective.
“About 85 percent of the kids have deployed parents, and many are
facing second or third deployments,” she said. “We feel pretty lucky
that it’s only four months.”
