JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The sun has reached its zenith on a hot spring day. Camouflage trucks back up in-line with the ramp of a C-17 Globemaster III sitting on the Joint Base Andrews flightline; oil and sweat bring a faint tang to the breeze blowing eastward across the asphalt bathed in sunlight unfiltered by overcast or clouds. The truck is pulling cargo: generators going to Romania - recently inspected by the 89th Aerial Port Squadron for flight-worthiness and safety.
The trucks lurch into reverse towards the open maw of the aircraft, up the ramp and into the cargo bay.
Once the cargo is in position, APS jumps into action. The porters, or "Port Dawgs", quickly unhitch the truck from the massive generators, and set to work securing the camouflage cargo, dragging heavy chains rattling across the steel floor of the plane. The chains are run crisscross from hooks attached to loops in the floor and connected to the chassis. The Dawgs slide on their backs under the cargo, using their momentum to slingshot from hook to hook like some Broadway-choreographed, Indy-car pit crew.
"If we aren't quick, the plane will be delayed," says Tech. Sgt. Nick Yee, 89th APS NCO in-charge of aircraft services, he smiles with pride in his work and in the men and women he supervises.
The first generator is finished, locked down tightly in the cargo bay. The second one is done with the same speed, same work ethic.
Next come the pallets of cargo. Porters push crates across wheels in the ramp into the cargo bay and secure them for the flight.
This is the work Aerial Porters do: the manual labor and safety checks required to keep the Air Force the greatest military and humanitarian presence in the world. It might not be pretty, but to say it's important to the Air Force mission is an understatement, according to Yee.
"We take cargo, track it in our system, do safety checks and ship it," Yee said. "If you need something sent through military airlift, we do it."
Porters make sure cargo is accounted for, safe to fly and loaded on time. The job can be exhausting.
"If you're talking about a Port Dawg, you're talking about a hard worker," Yee said. "Missions are constant, the breaks are short, we're out there 24/7."
Being mission essential may not be a basket of roses, but it epitomizes service before self.
"We can't guarantee holidays or snow-days off," Yee said. "Our job is a huge responsibility. It's rewarding to know that our hard work really makes a difference to the effectiveness of the Air Force as a military force."
But for as hard as they work, the porters are still behind-the-scenes getting their hands dirty, not exactly a glamourous, high-profile position.
"When a distinguished visitor gets on a plane, they know stuff is going on in the background, but they don't know it's us," Yee said. "We dump latrines, we drive the stairs; we get the plane in the air."
Yee says one of the best parts of the job is being able to support the commander-in-chief.
"Being able to support the president is really cool," Yee said. "The mission on JBA is really different in comparison to the rest of the Air Force."
Aerial Porters support more than just Air Force and presidential missions.
"Without the combined efforts between these Army and Air Force personnel, this mission would not have been accomplished," said 1st Sgt. Edward Weihl, Charlie Company, 249th Engineer Battalion first sergeant, regarding the elements of Charlie Company, the porters and the rest of the flight line personnel loading the plane.
The fast-paced, hard work of the Port Dawgs leads to a lifestyle that embodies what the Air Force is all about.
"Work, work, work harder," said Senior Airman Justin Tell Ryan, 89th APS aircraft services specialist. "We are the hardest working AFSC in the Air Force. Nothing gets done in the Department of Defense air lift system without us."