Working to deploy as one

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nicholas Benroth
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  For Airmen, deployment notifications can come a few months out or just a few days. Regardless of the time frame they must all be prepared. This requires planning and a lot of hard work for what lies ahead but Airmen do not have to make this journey alone.

The first priority for the members of the deployment control center and all unit deployment managers, is working together to make sure all Airmen preparing to deploy are spun up and ready to go.

For 1st Lt. Caitlin Wettle, 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer, ensuring deployments run smoothly is her number one goal.

"A lot of work goes into getting a person ready for a deployment whether its making sure everything in their folder is up to date or just ensuring they have everything they need," said Wettle. "When a member starts this process of preparing for a deployment their unit deployment manager will be the direct help to get them all of the things they will need together then we are here for any support they need."

The deployment control center plays a vital role in making sure a member deploys so when the building is split into different sections working together makes things key especially when they all have the same purpose of ensuring they get the people out, ready and on time.

"Everyone knows how much it takes for a person to get ready for a deployment but what people don't know is all the things that are going on behind the scenes," said Wettle. "We have to reserve a plane, and we ensure all the gear they prepared is in order, which is only naming a few things."

The DCC usually begins to prepare a month in advance for a unit that has a regular deployment, but for some a last minute deployment is a possibility which causes the center to speed up the process.

"The process of picking people who will deploy and all the gear that is needed takes time so when you get a last minute tasking people really feel the fire under their feet, said Wettle. "When this happens we try to work with all the units that help out and try to get things moving along as fast as possible."

When the time comes for people and gear to be loaded up they call on help from other members of the 23rd LRS.

Staff Sgt. Christopher Caffee, 23rd LRS field dispatcher is one of these augmentes that came in to help with their latest deployment.

"My job in LRS is a field dispatcher but today I came out here to help get this gear on the plane and get these guys on their deployment," said Caffee. "I'm glad to be out here and have the chance to help these guys out."

Each member helping prepare the people and plane to take off will also be the last members from Moody to see them off on their deployment.

"You really feel a sense of accomplishment after seeing things from start to finish," said Wettle. "They started off as just numbers and figures but they turn into faces by the time they leave.

"We get to see and work with almost every single unit on base, so you really make a lot of friends ," she added. "We see how hard it is for people leaving their families behind so we try and make the process as smooth and painless as possible."