RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --
Ramp Specialists from Joint Base Charleston's 81st Aerial Port Squadron offloaded palletized vital air cargo on the rainy flightline at Ramstein AB, Germany during a two-week annual training event, July 12, 2017.
Ramstein serves as a hub for cargo bound for military locations throughout Europe and Southwest Asia. The real-world training at Ramstein allows the 81st's Citizen Airmen to train on a cargo volume that they often don't experience at Charleston.
"As Reservists, there are a lot of times when we don't get out to the planes on Reserve weekends," said Staff Sgt. Anthony Pokorny, Air Transportation Journeyman with the 81st APS. "Here, it's constant, it's every day."
Ramp operations is the part of cargo handling in which cargo is loaded and unloaded from the aircraft on the flightline. It most often involves operating heavy equipment around transient aircraft on a tight schedule.
As a result, Ramstein's 721st APS often hosts Reserve and Air National Guard units for training opportunities like this one, which help ensure that Airmen have a breadth of aerial port experience.
"The active duty here are very knowledgeable," said Pokorny. "These guys do this every day. The fact that we don't do this every day, but we come out here and work together as a team - they treat us like family."
Pokorny also said that working alongside active duty broadens the experience 81st APS Airmen.
"It's great," said Pokorny. "There are things they can show us that we don't see as Reservists. They're out here every day doing their day-to-day operations, and that's something we don't see on a Reserve weekend."