‘Unsung heroes’ get pat on back
Caroline Chalker takes us to the Middle East where CAF, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd, says ‘thank you’ to the men and women of Air Force Task Groups 633.2 and 633.4

FLTLT Alan Brown chats with Chief of Air Force, AIRMSHL Geoff Shepherd, in the Middle East last month, when CAF visited the C-130 and P-3 detachments, TG 633.2 and 633.4

Photo by Caroline Chalker

The Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd, called them ‘the unsung heroes’ of Australia’s contribution to Operations Catalyst and Slipper, but the men and women of Task Group (TG) 633.2 and 633.4 would say they were just doing their job.

During a recent trip to the Middle East, Air Marshal Shepherd visited the C-130 and P-3 detachments and took time out to congratulate the groups on their excellent results to date.

“All of you have risen to the challenge of a difficult deployment. You are the quiet achievers who have done a great job and your efforts do not go unnoticed,” Air Marshal Shepherd said.

“Each one of you is an important member of the Air Force community. The contribution you have made to coalition operations has become part of our Air Force history.”

About 130 personnel provide intra-theatre lift and sustainment support in the Middle East as part of the C-130 detachment (TG 633.4).

TG 633.4 has been responsible for the movement of more than 20.5 million pounds of cargo and has carried in excess of 30,000 passengers to date.

Flying Officer Brooke Fleming is the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Air Lift Teams (ALT) in the Middle East Area of Operations. Her job is to look after the personnel deployed with the five detachments in the area, keeping an eye on their working conditions and making sure they are “all okay”.

Flying Officer Fleming had been on deployment for a little more than two weeks at the time of the Chief’s visit and although she misses home, she is enjoying the challenge.

“It is a great team environment,” Flying Officer Fleming said.

“Everyone looks out for one another and I am feeling very confident about the time ahead.”

Before her deployment, Flying Officer Fleming was OIC of the 1 Air Terminal Squadron (ATS) detachment in Townsville. This year she will spend her first Christmas away from home and family, but was sure she will be in touch on the day if she can.

Also on his first deployment is OIC of C-130 maintenance for the detachment, Flight Lieutenant Stuart Scott. He was six weeks into his rotation and said that time was going very quickly in his new job, even though the working days were longer than at home with No. 36 Squadron in Richmond.

Flight Lieutenant Scott missed his family most but said everyone in the deployed team was close and worked well together in what he described as a well-integrated, friendly environment.

Flight Lieutenant Scott commented that his training had prepared him well for the deployment and it took him only a week to settle in after around 50 hours of travel.

He also said that it really meant a lot to have the Chief visit.

Flight Lieutenant Brett Green was also pleased to meet the visiting Chief. Flight Lieutenant Green, the TG 633.4 Force Protection Officer, was on his second deployment to the region.

He led a composite team of Security Police and Airfield Defence Guards who were responsible for the safety and security of personnel and aircraft both on the ground and in the air.

Although he missed his wife and children, Flight Lieutenant Green valued the experience he was gaining and believed that the ADF as a whole learnt a lot from deployment and captured the lessons learnt very well.

Flight Lieutenant Green said the quality of people the ADF brought in is sometimes underestimated.

He said nearly everyone he met was “happy and committed to being here” and that for the most part he found his comrades aiming high in everything they did.

In another area of the region is the AP-3C detachment. TG 633.2 includes about 160 personnel conducting maritime patrol and surveillance operations in the Middle East and has flown more than 6800 hours.

The detachment operates two aircraft and includes associated command and support elements.

Warrant Officer Richard Engel was an airborne electronic analyst with the detachment and had completed the first month of his third rotation.

He operates the sensors on board the aircraft and generally started his day at 4.30am (when he was on day shift) with a lengthy pre-flight brief before beginning flying.

During his time away, Warrant Officer Engel has learnt to appreciate what he described as the “most important things in life” such as his wife and two boys, and was looking forward to time off relaxing with them at home early next year.

Explosive ordnance demolition technician Sergeant Peter Radcliffe, on his second tour to the Middle East, spent his days conducting analysis and demonstrations of the different effects of military-grade explosives, teaching personnel what to do if explosives were discovered, as well as completing base armament duties, looking after the explosives storehouse and conducting continuation training.

Sergeant Radcliffe was now more than half way through his deployment, having said goodbye to his wife and children about seven weeks ago. Despite thriving on the challenges, he missed his family.

There were many more people in many different positions who work tirelessly to support the Air Force contribution to operations in the region including logistics officers, administration and supply clerks, firefighters, maintenance and other support personnel and, of course, aircrew.

A barbecue at the flight line concluded the visit to the C-130 detachment. The evening included a birthday cake for Corporal Andrew Mould and much sought after steak, which certainly went down a treat with the crowd.

Before his departure, Air Marshal Shepherd said a few words of encouragement to his assembled troops, expressing similar sentiments on both occasions.

“In just the same way it is great to meet our people at home, it really is a wonderful opportunity for me to have this chance to get out here and meet you all. We are all part of the same community, whether we are overseas on deployment or getting on with the job at home.

“I thank you for your continued dedication and your commitment. While you are away I urge you to enjoy the camaraderie, to think about our values and the experiences you will share and to remember the good times. I am very proud of you all.”

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