532nd ESFS Airmen provide first line of defense

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Thomas Trower
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  Well before the sun rises over the installation here, more than 700 local Iraqis gather and prepare to shout their daily greeting, "Hoo-rah!" to U.S. Airmen fighting the base.

The 532nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron provides security for the entry control points here every day, protecting the base's almost 30,000 inhabitants.

"We wanted a way to connect with the Iraqis, but most of them don't speak much English," said Tech. Sgt. James Wooding, a 532nd ESFS ECP flight chief. "So we started kicking off the day with the loudest greeting possible. They may not speak our language, but they know how to welcome us now."

The morning ritual soon evolved into a competition between local workers from the Department of Public Works and their counterparts contracted through a private company. They compete while Wooding and his security forces Airmen judge their volume and enthusiasm.

By breaking the workers into two groups, Airmen have an easier time maintaining discipline and spotting anything suspicious, Wooding said. Workers must strictly adhere to a list of rules. Moving out of order, leaning on walls, disobeying orders by security forces Airmen and other infractions can result in Airmen immediately ejecting a worker from the line.

"If they can't follow the rules, they won't get on base. They won't work that day and they won't get paid," said Wooding, a native of Boston. "We are very strict because everyone on (Joint Base Balad, Iraq,) depends on us to protect them. When (the Air Force) took over perimeter security for Balad, we vowed not to let anything slide."

As workers progress through the several levels of security, Airmen keep a watchful eye. Airman 1st Class Thomas Schultz, a security forces apprentice with the 532nd ESFS, provides general security here. He deployed to Balad less than two months after his initial assignment to the 37th Security Forces Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

"I like the quick deployment," said Shultz, a native of Copperas Cove, Texas. "It gave me a chance to experience (deployed life) very soon. My family knows that I am doing something good for my country."

Schultz, who entered the Air Force specifically to become a security forces Airman, expects to return home for six months before he deploys again.

Senior Airman Johnny Keaton is another 532nd ESFS Airman in the high-demand career field.

"My job is to maintain good order and discipline," said the native of Flatwoods, Ky., who is deployed from the100th Security Forces Squadron at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. "We are the front line of defense and contribute greatly to the security of Balad."

Every Airman, from the front-line guard to the flight chief, the officer in charge and the servicemembers in the Balad Joint Defense Operations Center, maintains situational awareness with the help of a radio telephone operator, or RTO. Senior Airman Kyle Thompson, a 532nd ESFS Airman deployed from Lackland AFB, holds this position six days a week.

"I can use many types of communication equipment to relay significant events," said Thompson, a native of Bellevue, Neb. "I relay any messages and update the blotter so the next shift knows if anything important happened during the day."

These reports are vital for military intelligence staff to determine possible patterns of enemy activity, said Wooding, who is also deployed from Lackland AFB. RTO continuity is the key to a successful operation, allowing the operator to immediately apply any lessons learned and eliminate vulnerabilities.

Immediate response forces, or IRFs, patrol the security lane in Humvees. These teams conduct random antiterrorism measures and help the other Airmen ensure the safety of Balad and its local workers throughout the entry process.

"Our top priority is protecting the base and its people," Wooding said. "If something were to happen to the local workers, it would have a serious effect on the local village. We are helping their economy by employing their workers, and they rely heavily on that.