Charleston serves as hub for getting military supplies, equipment to war zone

President Barack Obama may have set his 30,000 Afghanistan troop surge deadline for July, but it could be September before all their necessary equipment catches up.

Case in point: Just this week a C-17 cargo plane took off from Charleston Air Force Base with nearly 100,000 pounds of ammunition stuffed inside its cavernous belly.

Stored not too far away are tons of bridging materials set to move in the coming weeks. That's on top of the more than 1,700 heavy armored vehicles that have been loaded, chained and flown overseas by Charleston pilots since January.

With the war in Afghanistan broadening daily, crews at the base say they've never worked harder. The sweat left in Iraq? Not even close to the effort behind getting the tons of equipment air-lifted to the sprawling American base near Kandahar, around the clock.

"We're shipping hundreds of people and thousands of pounds of materials," said Maj. Luther King, aerial port squadron commander at the base's 437th Airlift Wing.

The equipment being moved out of Charleston often is considered the most vital. Because of its location, flights can go from stateside to Afghanistan in about 14 hours, as opposed to the 26 days it takes to move the cargo by sea. That's in part why Charleston is considered the major military hub.

The pace also is taking a toll on the crews. Where previous deployments might have been 120 days, the more urgently needed positions are being scheduled in-country for up to 179 days, or just shy of six months.

A lot of them are airmen who "all they know is combat," King said, referring to those who have served for all of the nearly nine years since the 2001 terror attacks.

One of those airmen is Sgt. Ronnie Hearne, 29, of Washington state, who recently completed a six-month stint in Kandahar. During an interview Friday, Hearne spoke of unloading 30 planes a day in baking, oppressive heat. "Afghanistan is a lot busier than Iraq ever was," he said.

He also said threats were prevalent, recalling attempts by insurgents -- Taliban or al-Qaida, there was no way of knowing for sure -- trying to infiltrate the base in an attack that lasted more than two hours.

Occasionally an "attaboy" will come down from battle-line troops in forward operation bases and positions, he said, adding that in addition to ammo, some of the most widely coveted supplies are packaged Gatorade shakes.

In January, Obama called for the 30,000-troop surge and finally got congressional funding approved this week, a $59 billion measure that spikes the total amount of money Congress has dedicated for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to more than $1 trillion.

July also has become the deadliest month for troops in the field, with six more U.S. troop losses announced Friday, bringing to at least 66 losses for the month. June had been the previous high, with 60.

One scheduling problem not coming into play is the draw-down in Iraq, King said. Most of those materials will return home by sea.

King said he thinks his airmen have adjusted well to the longer days and higher demands of the surge and doesn't see the pace slowing down at least until September.

"Charleston has always been at the tip of the spear for anything happening in the world," he said.

By the numbers

Charleston Air Force Base's Afghanistan surge numbers:

--Support flights in July 2009: 251

--Support flights in July 2010: 335

--Total cargo moved to Afghanistan from Charleston since January: 1,922 short tons of 2,000 pounds each

--Charleston AFB is home to 56 C-17s, which carry troops, vehicles, kitchens, tents, ammunition, weapons and materials into Afghanistan around the clock.

For all U.S. military cargo flights:

--Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command has transported nearly 15 million passengers -- more than enough people to populate the entire state of Illinois.

--Also, airlifters have transported more than 5 million tons of cargo, which could load enough semi trucks to form a line from Los Angeles to Indianapolis.

--In 2009, 650 bundles of supplies were airdropped to ground forces in Afghanistan, totaling 30 million pounds. Due to increased forces, operations and the 30,000-troop surge, airdrop efforts are currently on track to double the 2009 totals with 1,300 in 2010.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at skropf@postandcourier.com or 937-5551.