MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida. —
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida. – Airmen from the 24th Special Operations Wing, Detachment 1, participated in their first joint deployment exercise since transitioning from United States Special Operations Command to Air Force Special Operations Command Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2022, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
The 24th SOW, Det. 1 conducted the exercise to validate their ability to provide short-notice civil engineering, force protection and logistics support toward a wide variety of special operation missions across the globe.
During the exercise, Airmen secured their cargo, prepared it for loading, and ensured it was ready for safety inspection.
“This is our first deployment exercise under AFSOC,” said Tech. Sgt. Ismael Hayes, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Air Transportation for the 24th SOW, Det. 1. “We wanted to get an understanding of some of our new roles and how we would proceed with our missions from here on out.”
Hayes added that although the transition from SOCOM to AFSOC did not entirely change their mission, it would actually help them get it done faster.
“We’re all about time,” said Hayes, “Now that we’re working with AFSOC, we’re able to work seamlessly with other units across the 6th Air Refueling Wing.”
Alongside the 24th SOW, Det. 1, were Airmen from the 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron, conducting safety inspections and providing cargo loading support throughout the exercise.
“Working with the 24th SOW was definitely interesting,” said Staff Sgt. Nasya Didomenico, a passenger terminal representative with the 6th LRS. “We ensured that all the cargo was prepared for loading, conducted the safety inspections to prevent any hazardous situations, and exchanged feedback with the Airmen conducting the exercise.”
Didomenico added that the 24th SOW Airmen were extremely efficient during the exercise and the 6th LRS is looking forward to a higher operations tempo now that the 24 SOW, Det. 1 is under AFSOC.
“We definitely still have the same mentality when it comes to doing our job,” said Hayes. “However, we’re very much looking forward to what the future has in-store for us being able to work under AFSOC and with the support of the 6th ARW.”
By Airman 1st Class Hiram Martinez
6 Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs