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73rd Aerial Port Squadron celebrates 40 years of excellence

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. David Kurle
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAS FORT WORTH JRB, Texas --  For a person, turning 40 can be unsettling, but for approximately 100 Air Force Reservists in the 73rd Aerial Port Squadron here, turning 40 means their unit is in its prime and looking forward to further decades of service.

Past and present squadron members, along with their families, observed the 40th anniversary of the 73rd Aug. 6 during the 301st Fighter Wing's unit-training assembly with a barbecue dinner in the Naval Operations Support Center here.

"In 1971, that initial cohort of Airmen came in and started the process of becoming experienced, then training the new folks that came in behind them," said Lt. Col. Kevin Mensing, the current - and 12th - commander of the 73rd APS. "They've created this legacy of excellence, so it's important to take a moment and celebrate those 40 years."

Excellence is more than an intangible concept in the 73rd, it also happens to be the squadron's motto - and one of the three Air Force core values.

"We're known for excellence throughout [Air Force Reserve Command] and [Air Mobility Command]," said Chief Master Sgt. Michele Ozuna, the squadron's superintendent. She has been a member of the 73rd for 22 years.

Two of her predecessors also attended the anniversary celebration - retired Chief Master Sergeants Bob Murphy and Ron Carroll, both of whom agreed that while the unit's mission remains the same, the tools used to get the mission done have changed.

"The tools have improved significantly," Murphy said. He was a founding member of the squadron, joining it in 1980 before retiring in 2007.

"When I came in, you did all your load plans on paper with a stubby pencil," Carroll said. "Now, it's all done on laptops." Carroll retired in 2010 after 27 years with the 73rd.

Load plans - which are essential to correctly placing cargo and people on aircraft - are just one of many facets to the 73rd's mission. Aerial port squadrons manage the movement of cargo and passengers throughout the Air Force's military-airlift system.

"We move butts, bullets and beans," Carroll said.

The U.S. military is executing an enormous logistics effort to support numerous worldwide locations in what is a global effort to fight terrorism, so it's no wonder the men and women in the 73rd - most of whom hold the 2T2X1 Air Force specialty code - are in high demand.

"It's a very critical career field and there're safety of flight issues we're responsible for," said Senior Master Sgt. Steve Kukawka, the squadron's senior air reserve technician. "What's unique about the 2T2 career-field is that there're about seven different skill sets you need to be effective."

"We just got back from our third major deployment early this year," Ozuna said. "We had 46 of our people deployed, and accomplished an [operational readiness inspection (ORI)] at the same time."

Since the squadron's gaining major command is Air Mobility Command - unlike the rest of the 301st Fighter Wing's, which is Air Combat Command - the 73rd accomplished its ORI in conjunction with the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla., in January.

The 73rd not only passed but earned high marks for its ability to survive and operate.

The Citizen Airmen of the 73rd have kept pace with the high tempo of operations despite their career field being the third-most tasked with deployments in Air Force Reserve Command, according to Ozuna.

"We haven't had to really mobilize anyone involuntarily," she said, "because we get so many volunteers."

Retired chiefs Murphy and Carroll noted the increased number of deployments and the 73rd APS's current operations tempo have been two other changes over the squadron's 40 years.

"Before the [1991] Gulf War we wouldn't have thought we'd see this kind of ops tempo in the Reserve," Carroll said.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the pace of operations really picked up, according to Kukawka.

"The unit was not in a mindset that you would deploy," he said. "After 9/11, the messages started flowing and [unit task codes] started getting tasked."

Chiefs Ozuna, Carroll, Murphy and Sergeant Kukawka all agree on what they say drives the squadron despite the high operations tempo - the unit's focus on its people.

"This squadron is like a big family," Carroll said.

"It's kind of like watching your own kids grow up," Murphy said. The 73rd not only treats its Citizen Airmen as an extended family but includes Reservists' real family members in many of its activities.

"We've always encouraged families to come into the unit," Murphy said. If you involve the families you retain the military members.

According to Chief Ozuna, the focus on the squadron's Airmen is key to the unit's distinguished 40-year record.

"Our retention is extremely high," she said. "We actually have people who live an hour or two from other aerial ports but they drive four to five hours just to stay in this unit."