Team McGuire in the lasso for AMC Rodeo 2009

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Monica Dalberg
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing
MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, NJ --  Team McGuire, made up of over 130 Reserve and active duty Airmen, arrived Saturday at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., host of the Air Mobility Command Rodeo 2009, AMC's premier mobility competition that took off July 19. 

Airmen from McGuire were joined in the 6-day event by 100 other U.S. Air Force active duty, Reserve, Guard and U.S. Marine Corps teams for the Rodeo, a competition of core AMC capabilities. The biannual event is multinational and teams from Belgium, Germany, Malaysia, Israel, Republic of Korea, Turkey and Spain brought over 40 different types of aircraft to take part. Competitors are measured in their abilities to perform air drops, air refueling, aeromedical evacuations and cargo delivery operations. The event also evaluates skills in ground operations to include security forces, combat control, aerial port and maintenance. 

"Where else can you get together on a platform of air mobility and meet and compete with not only your comrades in the Air Force, but so many others? What a way to build teaming, coalition, association and unification - all where strength comes from," stated Col. James Kerr, commander, 514th Air Mobility Wing here. "It's a class reunion, a mobility mecca, a tremendous learning opportunity and a good time!" 

Abilities showcased at the competition, according to AMC officials, represent about 70 percent of the air missions flown in the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility, playing a critical role in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as providing humanitarian support around the world. Airmen of AMC deliver members, cargo and fuel with speed and precision while maintaining operational safety. On average, 900 sorties fly some 2,000 tons of cargo and over 6,000 passengers each day. Such an operational tempo is equivalent to a mobility departure every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. 

In 2007, Team McGuire was the first base ever to send a team comprised of both Reserve and active duty members in one aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III. This year crews from here will be blended in both the C-17 and the KC-10 Extender, leading the way to the Air Force's transformation to bolstering association programs, Colonel Kerr stated. 

"Some of us older folks who participated in past Rodeos are now returning as wing commanders," Colonel Kerr said. "It's a good reminder of how we were all trained and that torch was given to us. It's now time for us to do the same for our young so the Air Force's air power and heritage can be passed on. We're making history for the future." 

"We give others who haven't been to the Rodeo pointers on what we should do as a team there," said Staff Sgt. Roberto Santiseban, a hydraulics specialist with the 514th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and member of Team McGuire at this year's competition. "They can pass this experience on to others who will compete for us at later Rodeos." 

The Rodeo began in 1956 and has evolved over 50 years from air drop contest to what it is today. The overall winning team of AMC Rodeo 2009 will be announced July 24, and the team will receive the "Best Air Mobility Team" award and the accompanying General William G. Moore Trophy. 

"Only the best win at Rodeo," said Maj. Neil Thomas, Rodeo team chief for the 514th and 305th Air Mobility Wings. "The skills demonstrated there by the winners are quickly taken back home by all participants. I fully expect that many bases will be doing lots of things the 'McGuire way' after Rodeo 2009."