{"id":68976,"date":"2026-01-29T18:56:46","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/887725607"},"modified":"2026-01-29T18:56:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:56:46","slug":"103rd-airlift-wing-supports-cargo-delivery-during-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/103rd-airlift-wing-supports-cargo-delivery-during-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"103rd Airlift Wing Supports Cargo Delivery During Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

There were numerous moments in 2025 when the Flying Yankees worked behind the scenes to keep the mission moving. In December, while many were celebrating the holidays, members of the 103d Airlift Wing worked through Christmas to manage the delivery of cargo to Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby, Connecticut. The timely return of the cargo was critical to sustaining stateside operations, as it was needed immediately to support readiness. Multiple shops worked together, including airfield management, maintenance, aerial port, and petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL), to guarantee the successful offload of supplies from two C-17 Globemaster IIIs, all with very short notice. The overall effort would not have been successful if it wasn\u2019t for the dedication and adaptability of members from the 103d who diligently stepped up to meet the challenge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between deliveries on Christmas Eve and another two days later, the aerial port directed the offload of 89,000 pounds of equipment\u2013including generators, a crane, and multiple pallets. Over those two days, offloading was completed each time in less than two hours, a result of the hard work contributed by each participating member. Additionally, while unloading the aircraft, 103d POL and maintenance members aided in the refueling of both C-17s with over 120,000 pounds of fuel each, ensuring a swift turnaround.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the aerial port led the efforts in offloading the supplies, many other supporting 103d Airmen played a role in facilitating the success of this mission. \u201cThe communication at the 103d was great between airfield management, maintenance, and the port\u2014it really made the mission a success,\u201d explained Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Merrow, an air transportation superintendent with the 103d Logistics Readiness Squadron. \u201cEach aircraft was able to take off early because of how quickly we expedited the offload and refueling.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The supplies were brought over on two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft provided by the Alaska Air National Guard and Travis Air Force Base. This integrated effort made it possible to streamline a safe and timely return from the Horn of Africa where members of the 103d Airlift Wing were recently deployed. As a result of the efforts by the 103d, participating units experienced minimal delays en route to their next destination.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting the supplies back was important because the deployed equipment was mission essential both here and overseas,\u201d said Senior Airman Ben Gardner, an air transportation specialist with the 103d LRS. \u201cIt was crucial to get the supplies back efficiently and effectively.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The seamless transition of supplies off the aircraft reinforced the concept of agile combat employment by demonstrating the adaptability and multi-capable skills our airmen possess. Despite limited manning and the added pressures of the holidays, members put the mission first, completing all necessary tasks regardless of their usual duties.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat motivates me is the power of perspective,\u201d said Tech. Sgt. Samuel Stiger, an air transportation specialist with the 103d LRS. \u201cThere are people down range and deployed overseas who are not able to come home for the holidays.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This coordinated effort by the 103d Airlift Wing and supporting units demonstrated the adaptability of a committed team and the power of inter-shop collaboration. Their efforts ensured critical cargo arrived safely and stateside operations remained ready during the holiday season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… to manage the delivery of cargo<\/span> to Bradley Air National Guard … . The timely return of the cargo<\/span> was critical to sustaining stateside … collaboration. Their efforts ensured critical cargo<\/span> arrived safely and stateside operations …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68976\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}