BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – As the drawdown of U.S
forces in Afghanistan continues, the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness
Squadron’s Traffic Management Office is closing down the base one shop at a
time.
The TMO office ensures all shipments from the country are
ready for transport, including hazardous and classified materials. The airmen
also inspect freight for damage, keep accurate records, and safely move the
cargo as it flows into and out of their facility.
“We start our day with handling all of the classified
materials, and we inspect and label everything with the appropriate markings,”
said Senior Airman Kionne Lewis, 455th ELRS cargo movement specialist. “We also
make sure the destination that’s receiving is notified that classifieds or
hazmats are on the way.
“A lot of the stuff we move will stay in theater,” Lewis
said. “For the shops that are shutting down, we take their assets and send them
to a different theater or home station that needs them.”
Being in a deployed location, TMO deals with materials they
normally wouldn’t at home stations, such as hydraulic fluids, batteries, tanks,
drone engines and corrosive gases.
“We deal with a lot of dangerous material. It’s a part of
our job to make sure the material is safely transported,” Lewis said.
The clear out is projected to be complete by December 2016, and
the TMO team will stay in theater until all shops are closed and materials are removed.
“We are a small team with a large workload, but
we work together to get the mission handled,” Lewis said.