[MilCom] 21st Airlift Squadron flies final mission

[AllanStern at aol.com]

21st Airlift Squadron flies final mission
By Staff Sgt Raymond Hoy 60AMW Public Affairs

TRAVIS AFB, CA.  (AMCNS) -- The 21st Airlift Sqdn completed its final 
operational C-5 mission  after touching down at Travis AFB March 13.  The mission, 
with a crew of 11  onboard, left Travis March 5 for an around-the-world flight.  
The 21AS  'BEEliners' will officially make the transition to a C-17 
Globemaster III sqdn  April 3.

The mission began with a trip to Charleston AFB, SC.  The  aircraft was 
loaded with supplies bound for Balad AB, Iraq, in support  of
Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The aircrew then proceeded to Hyderabad,  India, to 
pick up two Marine CH-53 helos and 26 Marines, which were there in  support 
of President George W Bush's trip to Afghanistan and India. After  offloading 
the Marines and their equipment in Kaneohe Bay, HI, the crew loaded  two more 
CH-53s destined for Iraq, and headed home to Travis.

The crew  was not only proud to be on the last mission, but also to be part 
of an  important operational mission as well. "It was great that we were able 
to do a  downrange mission, as well as some presidential support," said Maj 
Mike  Hanrahan, the mission's
aircraft commander.  "It felt good to do some  significant mission moving for 
our final mission."

The crew was selected  by the sqdn leadership for their capabilities and time 
in the sqdn. "They were  hand picked," said Lt Col Christopher Bingham, 21AS 
operations officer.   "Every aircrew position was filled by the 
senior-qualified person in the  sqdn.  Almost every member was also an evaluator."

Colonel Bingham  was honored to make the final landing upon return to Travis. 
"It was nice to be  a part of the final mission after running the operations 
for the sqdn," he said.  "It was a great opportunity."

A few of the crewmembers had been with the  sqdn since it first stood up as 
the 21AS. "I've been here a long time," said  Master Sgt Dale Jackson, one of 
the mission's flight engineers, as well as the  60AMW's 'Red Erwin' senior NCO 
aircrew member of the year.  "I
was  grateful to be on the last mission.  In all the time I've been here, it 
was  my first around-the-world mission.  It was a fitting end to my time  
here."

The 21AS still has one more local flight scheduled for March 31  and
has already begun the transfer process of becoming a C-17 sqdn.
Most  of its members, as well as the C-5 operational planning, have
already  transferred to the 22AS.  Some of the sqdn members will move on to 
their  next duty stations as well.