Passenger travel putting Kunsan on the map

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  While many logistics Airmen deal directly with vehicles, transportation and supply missions, the traffic management flight works directly with servicemembers to ensure a smooth move and facilitate an easy transition to Kunsan life.

The traffic management flight tries to make the stresses of moving as seamless as possible while taking care of military members on a daily basis. The flight uses military and commercial transportation to move personnel, eligible dependents, material and property across the globe to meet Air Force mission requirements, which includes packaging, classifying and arranging cargo from one place to the next.

TMO works under three distinct sections to get the job accomplished: cargo movement, personal property and passenger travel.

"We counsel personnel and their eligible dependents on their travel arrangements," said Senior Airman Shonda Hooper, 8th LRS passenger travel operations manager. "In so doing, we review their official travel orders and determine their transportation entitlements."

TMO's passenger travel is tasked with maintaining and issuing transportation documents. Hooper said a huge part of what they do is preparing passenger related travel documents.

"We mostly book personnel on the Patriot Express," she said. "But sometimes due to mission requirements or space availability, we assist them in booking commercial travel from Seoul."

Anything and everything having to do with passenger travel, these Airmen do it and according to their section chief, Master Sgt. Shane Dalkey, they do it well.

"I'm very proud of all the hard work Airman Hooper and others in her section do on a daily basis to ensure our Wolf Pack Airmen are taken care of, both professionally and personally," he said. "After all, this is the Wolf Pack, this is Kunsan; we're the closest base around -- as close as family."

Without what passenger travel provides the base, members would not be able to move to their next duty station; they just wouldn't have the means to get there.

"Without us, the member just can't leave," Hooper said. "I've been here for more than six months now and I really do enjoy meeting new people and assisting them with their various PCS-related issues."

However, the PCS process isn't the only place these Airmen can be found. Hooper said they also actively participate in the many Kunsan exercises.

"We brief passengers and follow-on forces as they come through," she said. "We're also instrumental during the noncombatant evacuation operations as everyone needs a flight out of here who won't be taking the fight north."

[Editors note: This story is part three of a three part series highlighting the 8th LRS's TMO flight.]