Kamodzi pamsewu wotseguka MC-130 Talon, iye anatembenuka nayang'ana mmbuyo. Pa mtunda wa makilomita zana, ambulansi inatsika m'misewu yopita ku Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
Anayendetsa mtunda wautali pamene unkafika ku ndege.
Pa ambulansi yomwe Lamlungu m'mawa mmawa inali gulu lopweteka la US Special Forces. Anapwetekedwa tsiku lomwelo mu nkhondo yoopsa ndi al Qaeda ndi asilikali a Taliban mumtsinje wa Shah-e-kot kummawa kwa Afghanistan.
Tomasi anayang'ana mkati mwa Taloni. Iye anasangalala kuona ndege ikukonzekera kulandira odwala matayala komanso kuti madokotala asanu ndi limodzi anali pamtunda. Monga momwe adalamulira.
"Zikuwoneka ngati zonse ziri bwino kupita," Tomasi anafuula khutu la wolamulira. The burly, M-16-kutsegula "load" anamveka ndipo anamupatsa chizindikiro "OK".
Madokotala adatenga msilikali wovulalayo pabwalo. Kenako ambulansi ina inadza, ndipo pasanapite nthawi yaitali asilikali ena anavulala bwinobwino. Thomas anawafufuza nthawi yomaliza. Koma panthawiyo, magulu awiri a madokotala, anamwino ndi akatswiri azachipatala anali atayang'anira.
"Onsewa ndi anu tsopano," adamuuza dokotala wa opaleshoni. "Samala bwino 'em."
Amunawo anali atatuluka m'manja, choncho Thomas anasiya ndege. Masenti zana kuchokera ku Talon, anaima kuti ayang'ane. Pamene idatuluka, adamwetulira.
Chifukwa Thomas, yemwe anali wachikulire wamkulu wa ndege, anali komweko komwe ankafuna kukhala, ndikuchita zomwe ankafuna kuchita.
"Ndatumizidwa kumene ntchitoyi ili. Pakati pa nkhondo zauchigawenga - ndikuyamba kuchita gawo langa, "adatero.
"Ndipo ndikuthamangira."
Talon, kuchokera ku Duke Field, Fla., Adathamangira asilikali ku Karshi Khanabad, Uzbekistan. Unali mwendo wachiwiri waulendo wautali umene unayamba ndi ulendo wautali kuchokera ku nkhondo. Kuchokera ku "K-2," asilikaliwo anapita kuchipatala ku Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Kenako C-9 Nightingale anawathamangitsa ku Ramstein Air Base, ku Germany. Atachoka kumeneko anapita kufupi ndi Landstuhl Army Regional Center kuti akawathandize. Ndipo, kenako, kupita kuchipatala china kuti akabwezere.
Ulendo wawo unayamba ndi Tomasi. Mmodzi wa atatu ogwira ntchito zachipatala ku flight ku Bagram, ntchito yake ndi kuthandiza kukhazikitsa maulendo othawa. Anapempha ndegeyo ndipo adaonetsetsa kuti ndegeyo ikubwera ndi zipangizo, mankhwala ndi mankhwala omwe akufunikira kuti athetse odwalawo.
"Ntchito yathu ndikutenga odwala kupita kuchipatala chotsatira," adatero.
Tomasi ali ndi gulu la asilikali okwera 137 la asilikali a Oklahoma Air National Guard. Adaitanidwa kuntchito pambuyo pa zigawenga zapabanja 11, adagwiritsa ntchito ulendo wake wa miyezi isanu ndi umodzi ku Bagram. Iye adalumpha mpata wokatumikira ku Operation Enduring Freedom.
Ntchito ya Tomasi ndi imodzi mwa anthu omwe samaganiza ngati namwino akuchita chifukwa amagwira ntchito zowuluka. Ntchito imeneyi ndi ena amachotsa anamwino kutali ndi malo awo odwala pambali pa wodwala.
Kwa anamwino ena, monga Thomas, ndi kusintha kosangalatsa, mwayi wokhala nawo mbali ya Air Force imene amwino samalumikizana. Koma akamagulitsa azungu awo ku chipatala chifukwa chokhala ndi suti zouluka, amwino ena amalephera kusamalira okhaokha.
Monga katswiri waulendo wopita kuntchito, Capt KC Vo anati, "Nthawi zina simukuwona kusiyana komwe mumapanga chifukwa odwala ali nanu kwa kanthawi kochepa." Vetti yazaka zisanu ndi chimodzi ndi theka, Vo imayenda ndi Ramstein wa 86 Mbalame Yopulumuka Madzi. "Kotero iwe sungayambe kuti uchite molunjika, chisamaliro cha odwala pambali."
Komabe, palibe kusowa kwa pempho kwa ntchito yosamalira azimayi. M'malo mwake. Ngakhale kuti Air Force ili ndi vuto lolemba ndi kusunga anamwino, sichikusoŵeka kwa anthu odzipereka othawa kwawo.
Chifukwa cha anamwino 3,800 mu Air Force, pali zilolezo zosakwana 200 za anamwino a ndege, Capt.
Linda Odom adati. Iye ndi ntchito yogwira ntchito yothandizira osowa alendo omwe akutumikira ndi Vo.
"Kupita kuntchito ntchito ndizofunika kwambiri - pali mpikisano wambiri kuti upeze imodzi mwazitali," adatero. A vet ya zaka 12 ndi theka, mmodzi wa Odom wake 32 anamwino a ndege.
Odom, monga Vo, amapita ku gulu la anthu othawa kwawo. Anthu ogwira ntchitowa amasamalira odwala paulendo wopita komanso kuchokera kuchipatala. Ku Ramstein, ntchito yotulutsidwa ikugwa pa C-9 Nightingale.
Ulamuliro womaliza
Pokhalapo, woyang'anira dokotala - wothandizira ndege - ndiye mankhwala omalizira. Ndi kwa namwino "kupanga chisankho pamalopo," adatero Odom. Palibe wogwira ntchito madokotala kuti ayende mpaka mamita 24,000. Koma ngati foniyo ndi "kunja kwina," iye anati, "kodi iwe umapita pa wailesi ndikuitana dokotala pansi."
Ndi udindo waukulu, iye adati. Anamwino ochepa omwe amapita kuzipatala zamagulu kapena zandale amachita zimenezo.
Ku Incirlik, Capt Michelle Maybell amapanga zisankho zina. Iye ndi woyang'anira ogwira ntchito ndipo ali ndi cholinga chosiyana. Mmalo mwa odwala, namwino wamkulu waulendo amayang'anira madokotala anzake.
"Tili ndi gulu lomwe limasamalira zosowa zonse zomwe zimafunikira kuti athe kusunga malingaliro awo pa ntchito yawo," namwino wothandizira kwambiri anati. "Ayenera kuganizira za odwala awo. Osati za kupeza zipangizo ndi mankhwala, kapena momwe angabwerere ku zipinda zawo. "
A reservist ndi gulu la 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron ku Charleston Air Force Base, SC, Maybell anatumizidwa ku Incirlik patangotha masabata khumi ndi awiri. Wodzipereka, adalowa nawo gulu la 43 la Exeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
Monga woyang'anira ogwira ntchito, amaphunziranso gawo limodzi la ntchito ya wothandizira ndege. Ndi udindo umene alibe nawo ntchito yaumphawi monga mtsogoleri wothandizira, koma amene amuthandiza kuchita ntchitoyi bwino. Ndipo ngakhale kuti ndibwino kuti aziwuluka, zomwe akuchita ndi "ntchito yabwino".
"Ndikawatsogolera, ndikuwanyamula, ndikuwamasula, ndikubwerera kuti ndikawathandize kuwamasula pambuyo pa ntchito, zimandipatsa ine bwino," adatero. "Kudziwa bwino kwambiri."
Pamene asilikari Tomasi adayika Taloni ku Bagram anali okonzeka kuthawa ndi Incirlik ku Ramstein, ndi Maybell amene adakwera nawo madokotala.
"Ndikudziwa kuti tachita gawo lathu kuti ntchitoyi ipambane," adatero.
Ndizo zokhudza kusamalira
Ngakhale kuti Ulaya, Middle East ndi Asia Minor ndizochitika masiku ano, anamwino othamanga akugwira ntchito padziko lonse lapansi. Ntchito yawo - ndi ntchito yogwira ntchito, madokotala opaleshoni a ndege, ogwira ntchito zapamadzi komanso othawa ndege - amapereka chisamaliro kwa odwala mlengalenga pamene akupita kuchipatala.
Ichi ndi gawo la kupereka anthu ogwira ntchito, Dipatimenti ya Chitetezo anthu amtendere komanso mabanja awo mkhalidwe wamasamalidwe aku America akuyembekezera, Lt. Col. Kirk Nailling adati. Mtsogoleri wa zaka 86 wa ntchito ndi namwino wamkulu, adanena kuti anamwino amagwira nawo ntchito yaikulu.
"Tili ndi anthu ochuluka padziko lonse lapansi omwe angathe kuchita pulogalamu yopulumutsa moyo," adatero. "Koma ndi ntchito yathu kuti tipeze chisamaliro chapadera."
Ntchito Yopirira Kupirira ikutsimikizira izo. Msilikali aliyense wa ku America wapwetekedwa mu nkhondo ku Afghanistan wakhala ndi namwino pambali pake paulendo wapita ku chipatala.
Nthaŵi zina monga choncho, anamwino ndi amisiri omwe amagwirizana nawo. Izi zinali choncho pa ulendo woyamba wochokera ku Incirlik ku Ramstein wa asilikali omwe anavulala ku Afghanistan, Capt Brenda Parker. Namwino winanso wa Ramstein oyendetsa ndege, iye anali wotsogolera ogwira ntchito zamankhwala pa ndegeyo.
"Zinali zogwirizana, kugwirizana, ndi kuyankhulana bwino," adatero. "Sindinayambe ndagwirizanapo."
Kagulu ka gulu. Ndichomwe chimatengera kupereka chisamaliro chapamwamba, Nailling adati. Ndipo kusamalidwa kumeneku ndi chinthu chimene anamwino akuthawa amapereka nthawi iliyonse yomwe amatha kupita. Izi, iye anati, "ndicho chimene chimapangitsa kukhala wothandizira kuthawa kwambiri."
Tomasi adatuluka kuchokera ku chipinda chaching'ono cha chipinda chimene iye ndi namwino wina adayitanira kunyumba. Anali m'chipinda chosungiramo denga komanso chachitsulo chotchedwa tower of the Soviet-built tower tower. Anamuchotsa tulo chifukwa maso ake anafika panthawi yochepa.
Anakumana ndi onse ovulala. Iyo ndiyo njira yokha yomwe iye akanakhoza kuwonera choyamba momwe iwo anavulazira kwambiri. Imeneyi inali sitepe yoyamba yodziwa kuti ndikutuluka kotani. Ndipo monga madokotala amachitira kapena kuwalonda ovulalawo, Thomas anapeza njira yowatulutsira ku Bagram.
Mphoto yake inali kuona ovulazidwa achoka pamunsi, kupita kuchipatala ndikupita kunyumba. Kwa iye, izo zokha zinali zoyamikira chifukwa chogwira ntchito pang'ono - ngati alipo - anthu amadziwa.
"Anyamata awa amaika miyoyo yawo pa mzere kwa ife," adatero. "Kuwatumikira ndizosangalatsa. Ndipo kutenga miyezi isanu ndi umodzi kuchokera mmoyo wanga kuti ndichite zimenezo ndi nsembe yaing'ono yokwanira poyerekezera ndi zomwe akuchita. "
Nkhani Yowonjezera Mwachilolezo cha Airman Magazine