Tuesday, March 8, 2005:
Navy deploys N.C. civilians to repair aircraft in Iraq:
the associated press
HAVELOCK, N.C.
The Navy has sent its first large deployment of civilian employees from the Naval Air Depot to Iraq this month to maintain Marine aircraft squadrons in the desert.
The 15 employees were send March 5-6 in transport aircraft along with more than 61 tons of equipment. The employees will set up a maintenance unit to perform depot-level repair work on Marine H-46 and H-53 helicopters.
Members of the initial all-volunteer group are scheduled to spend up to 179 days in the Middle East, with replacements and supplemental teams sent over as needed until the mission is no longer required by the Marine Corps.
Prior to this deployment, an average of four to six NADEP employees were in Iraq at any given time, said depot official Randy Gay. The depot is located at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
The civilians' primary mission will include battle-damage repair and basic service repair, including repair of the aircraft's surface skin, clean up and airframe corrosion repair.
"They will add a very good service to the fleet," says Maj. Allen L. Gilbert, the depot's H-46 Programs officer. "These are artisans with multiple trades who can take care of many things while they are there working as a team with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing."
Gilbert said the mission isn't risk-free, but the team will be located on a secure air base.
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In this photo released Tuesday March 8, 2005 by the Italian RAI TG1 national television, network military personnel are seen near a car said to be that n which Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was travelling with deceased secret service operative Nicola Calipari, during her release in Baghdad, Iraq, last Friday March 4, 2005. Sgrena returned to Italy but Calipari was killed in what appears to be a friendly fire incident by U.S. troops. (AP Photo/TG1, Rai)
In this photo released Tuesday March 8, 2005 by the Italian RAI TG1 national television, network military personnel are seen near a car said to be that n which Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was travelling with deceased secret service operative Nicola Calipari, during her release in Baghdad, Iraq, last Friday March 4, 2005. Sgrena returned to Italy but Calipari was killed in what appears to be a friendly fire incident by U.S. troops. (AP Photo/TG1, Rai)
US General George Casey, commander of multinational forces in Iraq, seen here January 2005 in Baghdad, said that 140,000 Iraqi troops are ready to secure their country.(AFP/File/Hrvoje Polan)
US soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment inspect vehicles and driver's identification cards during a joint traffic checkpoint with Iraqi soldiers and US Marines on the road linking Syrian border and the city of Mosul.(AFP/Mauricio Lima)
