POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. --
Three McChord C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and crews journeyed
to Pope Army Air Field North Carolina June 4 to team up with four C-17’s from
Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, to conduct a personnel air drop before
they made their way to Europe to participate in a large scale exercise known as
Swift Response.
More than 600 Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort
Bragg, North Carolina conducted a static jumped from seven C-17’s over the Pope
Army Air Field Range and completed tactical training once they were on the
ground.
Capt. Anne Marie Kemp, 7th Airlift Squadron C-17 pilot, was
one of the seven aircraft commanders working to safely drop the hundreds of Soldiers
over the drop zone.
“It’s preparation for the exercise,” said Kemp. “We’re
practicing a large formation, which is something we don’t always get to do,
while also enabling the Army jumpers the opportunity to train as well.”
According to Kemp in the past, training opportunities such
as this were not always feasible said Kemp due to real world missions, planning
constraints and coordination.
The training is vital for the aircrew and the Army, because this
training is similar to how they would respond in a real world situation, said
Kemp.
In addition to the pilots and Soldiers, the loadmasters on
the aircraft gain an equal amount of training with every air drop they
complete.
The ‘loads’ as they are commonly referred to, are responsible
for loading, securing, escorting cargo
and passengers, as well as calculating weight distribution.
For Staff Sgt. Seth Lewis, 7th Airlift Squadron
C-17 loadmaster, this was his first C-17 personnel air drop, but his 11th total
personnel air drop as he was a previous C-130 loadmaster.
“It definitely feels good to be able to complete these
missions,” said Lewis. “One second you have a plane full of people and 30
seconds later it’s empty, picture that.”
Lewis said, seeing a formation of people and equipment being
dropped off is what his job is all about.
“I enjoy the view from where I sit and the satisfaction I
get from a job well done,” he said.