6th LRS TMO delivers during peak season amidst COVID-19 pandemic

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Heather Fejerang
  • 6th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

The 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron Traffic Management Office is comprised of four sections: personal property, passenger travel, outbound cargo and inbound cargo.

While some personnel have worked with multiple or all of the sections, most have processed through the personal property office whether they were retiring, separating or changing duty stations.

With the base being amidst the summer cycle for permanent change of station (PCS), this section is all hands on deck.

“May through September is our ‘peak season’ for PCS,” said Tech. Sgt Andrew Manske, 6th LRS TMO noncommissioned officer in charge of personal property. “We service every branch of service in one of the biggest areas of responsibility in Florida.”

Peak season comes with its fair share of challenges for Team MacDill TMO team members. The 6th Air Refueling Wing is unique in that it supports two large Combatant Commands and 33 tenant units, all of which go through the 6th LRS TMO office. From January 2021 till now, June 2021, the personal property section has processed over 2,800 outbound shipments. That’s only a five month timeframe.

“The joint personal property office we work with and route our paperwork to for our customers is one of the largest in the United States,” said Staff Sgt. Logan Robinson, 6th LRS TMO Personal Property supervisor. “MacDill is one of the largest personal property offices in the United States. We serve customers from Orlando all the way down to Fort Meyers.”

To add on top of that, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic added challenges to a unit that physically interacts with customers and their personal belongings on a daily basis.

“It was a huge adjustment when COVID-19 hit,” recalled Manske. “TMO almost had a mini-peak season when the stop movement lifted and customers needed immediate assistance. You have to rise to the occasion in situations like this and our team did exactly that.”

With the worldwide pandemic still affecting everyday life, TMO moved to an all online platform to mitigate contact with customers, while limiting in-person counseling to only members retiring, separating or moving for the first time.

“This job is definitely challenging, but I personally enjoy that challenge, it’s rewarding for me,” said Robinson. “TMO is a unique career field, it encompasses logistics and I’m proud to be a logistician.”

TMO plays a vital role in the U.S. Air Force mission by developing and enabling their team members to leverage the diversities of their career field. Whether it is moving aircraft parts or supplies for our KC-135 Stratotanker, or helping the Joint Force effort by moving a Team MacDill U.S. Marine and their family to their next duty station, the 6th LRS Traffic Management Office is always up to the challenge.