84 airmen from Nellis southwest Asia-bound

Jace Radke

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 | 11:05 a.m.

Everything from gas mask filters to small camouflaged Bibles were provided Wednesday to Nellis Air Force Base personnel who have been ordered to Southwest Asia.

Although many of the 84 airmen had been through previous deployments to Afghanistan, Kuwait and other areas, there is a different feeling this time around, said Col. Todd Bolger, commander of the 66th Rescue Squadron.

"In many ways getting ready and getting all the gear we'll need is the same as other deployments, but the anticipation of what could happen with the buildup is what makes it different," said Bolger, whose men pilot HH-60 Pavehawk helicopters on combat rescue missions.

"We've been sent over in the past to Northern Watch and Southern Watch (the no-fly zones that bracket Iraqi airspace), but now we don't know what's going to happen. I pray to God we don't have to go to war, but we're ready."

About 125 people assigned to the 66th, the 58th Rescue Squadron, the 57th Maintenance Group and the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron are scheduled to be sent to an undisclosed location overseas in the coming days.

The 58th is made up of the para-rescue troops who man the Pavehawks, while the 57th keeps the helicopters in the air. The 15th is an RQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft squadron.

Staff Sgt. Michael Isenburg, an intelligence officer with the 66th, could have sleepwalked through the briefing and gear-issuing line that greeted him Wednesday morning inside a warehouse near the Nellis flight line. Isenburg was deployed to Afghanistan twice in 2002 and was in Kuwait in 1998 and 1999.

"No matter where you're going you always go through briefing and a deployment line," Isenburg said. "This part gets a little repetitive, but you want to make sure you have everything you need."

"Everything" comes in the form of two bags stuffed full of gear and a brain full of issues such as personal finances and preparing for family emergencies. Lawyers were available to help with power of attorney issues and wills.

The troops were even given a message from Capt. Christopher Cooper, an Air Force chaplain.

"Make sure that when you're over there you feed your spirit," Cooper told the soldiers during a briefing in a room with brown and green camouflage on the walls. "If you get into a conflict, you'd better win."

Other topics included family assistance from the Red Cross and the Nellis family support center, which provided a $20 phone card to each deploying airman.

They were also told that they will have to fill out vouchers upon their return to Nellis to obtain their combat pay. Those being deployed will be eligible for monthly hardship duty pay of $150, family separation pay of $100 and imminent danger pay of $150 if they are stationed in a combat zone. The pay is not taxed and is in addition to their normal pay and a $3.50 per diem.

After 40 minutes of briefing the soldiers lined up to wind their way through the warehouse to pick up gear.

The first stop was a chat with a doctor and a shots for those who were not current on their inoculations. Typhoid and influenza shots were among the vaccinations given. About half of the 84 deploying personnel need an anthrax vaccination, which will be administered on Friday.

After meeting with the medic, Staff Sgt. Amber Wedding, who is with the 57th, checked through her gear with an airman assigned to the 99th Supply Group, which is responsible for outfitting the soldiers.

The first green duffle bag given to Wedding included rubber and cloth gloves, a chemical suit made of an absorbing charcoal-based material, boots, four gas mask filters, two decontamination kits with absorbing wipes, and four rubber hoods.

Gas masks are already a standard-issue item. Atropine injector kits, which include a syringe equipped with a small explosive to pierce a chemical suit and someone's chest, are given out as needed in combat environments, Nellis spokeswoman Capt. Kelly Cahalan said.

The second green duffle included a poncho, sleeping bag, insect repellent, a small metal mess kit complete with utensils and a canteen.

Lugging the two bags, which weighed more than 30 pounds combined, through the warehouse, was something Wedding had not experienced since her only other deployment in 1995.

"I haven't done this for awhile, but it comes back to you pretty quick," said Wedding, who has a husband in the Air Force, and two sons ages 7 and 1 1/2. "It's hard to leave my family, but I haven't been (in this situation) in a long time."

The final stop for Wedding and the others on Wednesday was to take passport photos, and a quick stop at Capt. Cooper's table, where small Bibles, Books of Mormon, Korans, Hebrew prayer books and tomes on Buddhism were available for the soldiers.

There were also St. Christopher medals of protection that soldiers could take.

Currently there are 722 Nellis personnel at various posts around the country and the world. They are everything from Predator units to administrators. Once the elements of the 66th, 58th, 57th and 15th are deployed the number will grow to more than 840, Cahalan said.

The 125 being deployed make up about one-third of the 66th, 58th and 57th, with the other two-thirds being held in reserve so that they are available to rotate in to relieve those being deployed now, Bolger said.

Maj. Kevin Sievers, an intelligence officer with the 57th Operations Support Squadron, who is tagging along with the 66th on the mission, said he was excited to go.

"Basically this is something that we've trained for, and now we have the chance to go apply what we know how to do," Sievers said. "There are a lot of people in the country that can't respond to what happened on Sept. 11, but we have that opportunity."