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20th LRS equips the mission

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Benjamin Ingold
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – A sea of cardboard, the shuffle of boxes placed on racks of metal and the repetitive beep of a forklift greets those entering the 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron cargo warehouse at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Airmen assigned to the 20th LRS work from the warehouse to label, store and prepare cargo for shipment anywhere at Shaw and around the world.

“We receive the cargo from other organizations around the base,” said Airman 1st Class Rahkeem Fair, 20th LRS outbound cargo specialist. “From there we plan shipments and enter it into the cargo movement operations system. After that we get it out to its destination.”

Airmen from the 20th LRS cargo warehouse function as Shaw’s very own military post office.

“There is nothing we can’t send,” said Fair. “We are the FedEx or UPS of the Air Force. We can send ammo, explosives; we’ve sent nearly everything.”

Airmen handle logistics tasks ranging from shipping a tire to transporting an F-16CM Fighting Falcon engine. The equipment or supplies are received, accounted for and sorted by the incoming cargo team.

“We can receive anything from weapons to aircraft parts, to screws, to office supplies, uniforms, anything that comes onto the base,” said Airman 1st Class Dylan Dykstra, 20th LRS inbound cargo specialist.

The process of receiving incoming cargo is structured to ensure that Shaw is getting the correct parts.

“There is paperwork on every piece of cargo that comes in,” said Dykstra. “We take the paperwork off the outside, or if it’s classified, we open up the package and verify the paperwork with the actual part and stock number.”

Processing bigger cargo presents a different challenge for the team.

“We basically back the truck up to the dock and then attach the ramp,” said Dykstra. “We get on the forklift and offload everything. Then we store it somewhere in the warehouse that’s designated for big cargo. After that, we in-check just as we would the smaller pieces.”

Aircraft cannot fly and Airmen cannot support the mission without proper parts and equipment processed through the warehouse. By equipping the 20th Fighter Wing with the right tools, the 20th LRS ensures that Airmen are prepared for the next fight.