It sounds like a military recruiter’s dream: click on an online banner ad, become an Air Force recruit. That’s exactly what happened for an aircrew flight equipment combat air adviser with the 770th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron.

Tech. Sgt. Shaun Cox was looking to apply an associate’s degree in tour and travel to a job in 1998 when she saw an advertisement that said, “Be a travel agent for the military.” Cox, who had long considered joining the military, followed the link to a description of the Air Force’s travel management office career field.

“I called a local recruiter, and he didn’t have any openings in TMO,” said Cox, a native of Lincoln, Neb. “But he said, ‘I have this open general slot; you can come in right away.’”

Cox enlisted and entered the air traffic control career field. After a short time, she cross-trained into life support. After spending a year at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., she moved to Luke AFB, Ariz., where she is now the NCO in charge of F-16 life support systems for the 62nd Fighter Squadron.

“I love life support,” she said. “I get to work hands-on with the equipment, and I also get to do a customer service job.”

Cox works with equipment pilots hope they will never have to use — survival equipment such as knives, 5/50 cord and GPS navigation aids that can help them survive in enemy territory and return safely to friendly forces.

“If they go down, that equipment is going to save their lives,” Cox said. “It’s the vests and radios and other equipment that’s going to keep them alive.”

When she received notification that she was going to deploy for 12 months to the 770th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron at Taji Air Base, Iraq, she was initially unsure of what to expect. The deployment was the first in her 10-year career.

“It’s completely different from my job (at home station),” she said. “Here, all the life support equipment is helicopter equipment. There are different parts and pieces to it, especially the helmet. But it’s exciting — we have so many jobs; we don’t do the same job day in and day out. There are different challenges and issues every day.”

Cox also wasn’t sure what kind of welcome she would receive from the Iraqi airmen, but the Iraqi life support technicians who work with her see her as one more American Airman.

“We’ve worked with a lot of Americans before,” one Iraqi airman said. “They’re easy to deal with; they’re all OK to us.”

“I thought that I’d be looked down upon by the Iraqis I’d be working with, but that’s absolutely not the case,” Cox said. “If the guys see I’m about to start a project, they’re on it. They’re always eager to help — there’s nothing they wouldn’t do.”

Since arriving here Aug. 1, Cox has encountered a handful of roadblocks. One is the language barrier, and although she’s picked up some Arabic in the six weeks she’s been here, she still relies heavily on her interpreters.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” she said.

Another challenge when she arrived was continuity.

“The two guys who were here before me did an outstanding job,” she said, “but I was missing that sense of continuity. I’m trying to build a binder that I can hand to the person who replaces me.”

The largest challenge, however, is logistics.

“The guy I replaced ordered as much in the way of supplies as he possibly could,” Cox said. “But it’s hard to get supplies here. I can’t just grab a government purchase card, go to the base supply store and get the parts I need. There’s a shortage of Iraqi supplies, and we need to get the Iraqi airmen to the point where they’re procuring their own supplies.”

She said she hopes to establish a supply system with regular processes and procedures.

“We’re not supposed to be the boss,” she said. “I want to get the life support shop set up in an Iraqi fashion instead of in an American fashion. But we also have to think about future procurement — will they continue buying American items, or will they purchase from other sources? The big thing we need to do is conduct research to get the parts they need.”

But the hurdles are part of what makes the job worthwhile, Cox said.

“I would definitely recommend this job to anybody,” she said. ” Working with Iraqis is a life-changing experience. You can’t do anything like this anywhere but here.”

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Photographer: Staff Sgt. Paul Villanueva II

The future of Iraq is in good hands — the hands of Iraqi airmen who are determined to build and defend a new future for their children.

A photographer from our public affairs team and I flew to Taji Air Base, Iraq, Sept. 11. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect as our UH-60 Blackhawk touched down on Taji’s short runway, but we met up with a U.S. Air Forces Central video and photo team and got straight to work.

What we saw were Iraqi airmen dedicated to rebuilding their air force and their country. In less than two years, they’ve grown a helicopter force from a handful of pilots to four complete flying squadrons, including one special operations squadron. They maintain, train on and fly their own equipment — Mi-17 Hips and UH-1P Hueys. American Airmen assigned to the 770th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron step in to help when needed and offer tips based on how the U.S. Air Force operates.

It’s not a perfect system. Airmen on both sides have to overcome the language barrier. Many of the 770th AEAS’ Airmen have learned some Arabic since arriving about five months ago, and many of the Iraqi airmen speak at least some English. What’s more, the Iraqis have an eagerness to learn that easily overcomes any barriers.

“The younger Iraqis come to us on a daily basis and ask us, ‘Please sign us off on this task,’” said Tech. Sgt. Lee Everhart, an Mi-17 air adviser with the 770th AEAS who is deployed from the 653rd Combat Life Support Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. “It’s unbelievable how far they’ve come in the five months we’ve been here.”

The Iraqi and American Airmen share a close bond due to spending time together both on and off duty. The Iraqis gladly share their meals, and the Americans just as gladly share information and expertise. I spoke with an Iraqi helicopter pilot, Lt. Col. Ahmed Thwinee, who flies for 15th Squadron. He is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War and both conflicts with U.S. forces and rejoined the Iraqi air force when the government reconstituted it.

“Our pilots had good jobs but left them to rejoin the Iraqi air force,” the colonel said. “There’s nothing like flying, but flying to protect people is the best flying.”

He and his airmen have adopted the Americans with whom they work. The Iraqi people now understand that Americans came into Iraq to save its people from a regime that destroyed their fortunes, their culture and their lives, Ahmed said.

“We are grateful for the Americans and their families back home,” Ahmed said. “Their families miss them when they come here. They’re still in our memories and hearts. We will never forget them, and we hope to see them another time as tourists in our country.”

Ahmed is one of many Iraqi airmen working to rebuild Iraq as a free nation. I look forward to the day not far in the future when his vision is a reality.

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Commentary by Staff Sgt. Don Branum
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs