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March aerial port ensures Marines are ready to go overseas

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David K. Flaherty
  • 452nd Air Mobility Wing, Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  Thousands of Marines from Camp Pendleton's I Marine Expeditionary Force went through March ARB in mid-July on their way to Iraq.

The base became the main hub for local deployments when Norton AFB closed in 1994. Air Force reservists in the 452nd Aerial Port Support Flight operate as a central deployment center for incoming and outgoing local Marine units and other military groups.

"March has the setup and the team to do large-scale operations," said Master Sgt. Phillip Cheng, 452nd APSF's superintendent. "We have the facilities to handle large amounts of troops and it's safe and secured."

From the inside of an airplane hangar on Graeber Street, an assembly line of Marines is processed through a series of stations to make sure they are cleared for deployment. The 452nd APSF is responsible for processing, loading and transporting military people and their cargo. Immunization records are checked and legal paperwork is documented before the Marines are cleared to go.

"We're set up so when they get here they can work with us to make sure they have everything they need to go," Sergeant Cheng said. "We can handle small deployments and we can also go big."

The base's flight line is able to handle large-scale, fully loaded military aircraft that otherwise could not land at nearby bases because of their weight.

For the reservists at the 452nd APSF, getting military members to and from their deployed location is a feeling that is second to none.

"There's a satisfaction in knowing that we're the backbone of the deployment process," Sergeant Cheng said. "Our morale is good because we're able to get them there and back without any delays." (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)