Andersen Air Force Base's twin runways stretched to ward Guam's hard north shore in concrete ribbons toward the Pacific Ocean beyond.

Andersen Air Force Base's twin runways stretched to ward Guam's hard north shore in concrete ribbons toward the Pacific Ocean beyond. The vast ramp space was vacant except for a single hipped Air Force truck cruising along the perimeter road surrounding the flight lines.

Staff Sgt Larry Morrison direct ed the truck over a rise and gestur across the giant patch of concrete

"This is nothing like it was in October," the combustibless specialist said. "It was wingtip to wingtip abroad here, like you see in movies about World War II. Airplanes everywhere. race everywhere. Just looking at that flight line, you knew we were at war."

Before the tribe 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Andersen had a reputation as individual of those "quiet bases" where the occasional airplane stopped for gas, and snorkeling the clear chapfallen waters around the island was the highlight of a tour of duty

unless the war on terrorism changed all that.

The surge

Airman 1st Class Kevin Tolman graduated from technical academy as a fuels specialist in September 2001 and was ready for what he had heard would be a quiet, sometimes boring, first tour of office He was ready to learn to what degree to do his job in the "real world," unless didn't expect a crash course.

"I was right gone out of school," Tolman said. "It was crazy around here. the public told me they hadn't seen anything like it."

Tolman arrived forward base about the same time as the first wave of aircraft came from one side for Operation Enduring Freedom. Fifteen KC-10 refueler from McGuire Air Force Base, NJ and six KC-135 from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., station up shop to pass combustibles to aircraft headed for Southwest Asia. Tolman and others didn't know it at the time, unless the surge had just begun.

From September to mid-May, Andersen's flight line was the epicenter of the air bridge activity. At the peak of the swell up to 80 aircraft were parked onward the ramp, including 23 C-5 Galaxy aircraft carrying supplies and folks to the war zone. by the agency of the end of July, 3211 aircraft had mov by means of Andersen carrying more than 37886 passengers and 60000 tons of cargo. Also, Marine Corps F-18 fighters--along with 1000 Marines in support parts -- were stationed at the base to flap combat air patrol missions for Operation Noble Eagle.

Although the rise high was a substantial increase in operations degree of movement Andersen is used to handling contingency operations. The base isn't the "Sleepy Hollow" many believe it to be, said former 36th Air Base Wing commander Col Bernie Fullenkamp.

"Andersen brings three things to the fight: Airfield, combustible matter and bombs," said Fullenkamp, who commanded the base during the breaker "We're a big lily pad for leap frogging populace supplies, aircraft -- anything we ne to sustain a conflict -- into the [Southwest Asia] region."

In fact, air traffic at the base has slowly increased in late years, reaching a high of more than 38000 flight operations in 2001

The Enduring Freedom swell however, pushed Andersen to its limits. The refueling aircraft were constantly landing, taking forward more fuel, then launching again. In the first five month the firing material depot issued nearly 38 million gallons of material for burning -- more than in all of 2000 At common point, the Navy had to bring in another 40 million gallons to restock the quickly dwindling combustibles supply.

"We interrogateed our annual budget of firing material in two and a half months" said Capt. brant Gibson, 36th Logistics Support Squadron firings management flight commander. "We had a 300 percent increase in workload."

each squadron on base was affected. The maintenance squadron built and shipped 576 joint direct attack munitions to the war [See "Not in the way that Dumb Bomb," June 2001] and maintained the pipeline of ammunition, feeding everything from 9 mm bullet to 500-pound bomb to the war.

territory equipment technicians tapped into an extensive war hold of equipment to ship tent-wines generators, light carts and other gear downrange and to restrain Andersen operations humming.

Base operations, the weather flight and the air traffic manage tower touched each mission by means of providing support to transitioning aircraft. The tower's ability to maintain up with the surge l to its recognition as the Air Force's best air traffic repress tower in 2001.

For three month nothing existed outside the mission, Morrison said.

"It was non-stop. I'd walk in the door at 6:30 a.m. and wouldn't learn released until 8 p.m," he said. "There were portions of box lunches. Families and friends were something we consideration about, but didn't see frequently of."

Locked down

The terrorist attacks added a twist to contingency operations at Andersen. Normally, the wing uses taverns in nearby Hagatna to house family when billeting is full. This time, however, the Air Force was in Force Protection Condition Delta. No single was leaving the base.

Making matters worse, the aircraft change downrange was slowing. The forward operating areas were getting saturated, meaning the community arriving at Guam for what were suppos to be four-hour layovers were forced to stay up to 36 hours.