Knowledge and experience passed on to 606th deployers

Published July 10, 2013
By Staff Sgt. Christopher Ruano
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 606th Air Control Squadron has deployed to Afghanistan and another part of Southwest Asia for several months. A recent deployer, 1st Lt. Covey McAllister, 606th ACS deputy chief of current operations, has stepped in to share her knowledge and prepare Airmen for the road ahead.

"I am one of the few people in the squadron that has specific interaction with this mission in Afghanistan," said McAllister.

Upon McAllister's return to the squadron in December 2012, Airmen already started training and preparing to deploy again.

"I helped teach academics and hands-on training, ran simulations, clarified air control tower communication, helped people get the right words out at the right time and controlling aircraft safely," said McAllister.

McAllister took the team through several blocks of instruction that prepared the team for their deployment.

"The first block was the academic portion; there are a lot of documents that regulate Afghan air space and our air control procedures," she said. "We have to learn all these new concepts that we wouldn't use here in Germany."

This seven-month training regiment taught them all the different missions they will support during their deployment.

McAllister said there is a huge difference in the 606th ACS mission at Spangdahlem versus down range. They may conduct air space de-confliction, electronic warfare, air refueling, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, troops in contact and troop support on the ground missions.

Doing the mission is a critical aspect while being deployed but there was also some helpful advice that McAllister gave her co-workers to do in their free time.

"There is a wide variety of extracurricular activities out there, so you could do anything from furthering your education, wing dining-ins, professional organizations, and get involved with the local people."

While McAllister deployed in July, 2012 she was active in continuing her education professionally and academically while participating in community activities helping to build relationships with the local nationals.

"I was part of an organization called Jar Saleh which do host-nation relations. We would have dinner at an embassy or with an ambassador asking questions."

There are a lot of positive aspects that McAllister talked about with the 606 ACS Airmen about being deployed, but she also took time to discuss how to deal with the heightened stress that comes with a deployment.

"I got to see firsthand how some Airmen didn't cope so well, like it was their first deployment. Their young wives were back home ... there were those separation anxiety issues."

While the Airmen are deployed, McAllister will still play a critical role here. The knowledge she posses from her recent deployment will play a key role in training new Airmen coming to the 606th. She will also be maintaining current scheduling operations.

"I'll be acting deputy chief of current operations conducting missions for new people coming to the 606th; they will be here waiting for the deployed people to get back, and so I'll be spinning them up on our system here, getting them familiar with the German air space, and training them on the different rules and regulations we have to follow here."