UDMs essential to deploying Airmen Published June 28, 2010 By Senior Airman Clay Murray 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Spending several months away from familiar faces can be difficult to adjust to. The final familiar face often seen by deploying Airmen before departure is that of the unit deployment manager. Unit deployment managers do exactly what their job title implies, and every major organization has at least one. Staff Sgt. James Killian, 52nd Fighter Wing UDM for the wing staff agencies, worked closely with deploying Airmen during the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Operational Readiness Inspection and preceding exercises. "It's a pretty in-depth job," Sergeant Killian said. "You have to make sure that people are trained and ready to fight downrange. We're there to see that they're ready to go, and that they and their families are covered while they're deployed. Back home their families are taken care of while they're gone, so we can cover both ends of the spectrum." Rather than a specific job dealing with one major mission - as a resource advisor with the comptroller squadron - UDMs encounter many different jobs, missions and needs. "The biggest and first thing you learn as a UDM are all the agencies that are involved in getting a person out the door," Sergeant Killian said. "From medical to legal, finance - everybody is involved - the chaplain too. We're behind everyone 100 percent to make sure that everything is good and ready to go for that person to get out the door to fight the war with no worries back home." A UDMs tasks range from easy to puzzling, and in some cases responsibilities are tough. Doing the job properly and quickly is the trickiest part of being a UDM, said Sergeant Killian. "The most difficult part of being a UDM is probably coordinating with all the different agencies to get a person out the door quickly," he said. "Trying to get that person to visit everyone in a timely manner takes a lot of coordination, communication and flexibility. When you have a time crunch, some things take longer than others, and the less time you have, the harder it is. It's all about timing. That's why we're here - to fly, fight and win." After all the work and learning involved, Sergeant Killian will return to his regular job as a 52nd Comptroller Squadron budget technician, but he says his experience as a UDM has given him a new perspective. "I definitely have a new-found respect for the position (of UDM.) Of what we do in the military and Air Force, and now I can see how my role plays in that," Sergeant Killian said.