Thunderbolt leads team, repairs critical runway in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Devante Williams
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  


One of the 56th Fighter Wing’s beliefs is that we are leaders and work best in teams. An example of what belief looks like is displayed by Staff Sgt. Kyle Mitchell, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron project inspector who led a team of civil engineers in Iraq during his recent deployment to help change the tide of the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

For more than two years, ISIS damaged the runway at Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq using explosives and heavy machinery. As the US led coalition planned to begin to retake the city of Mosul that airfield was identified as a critical logistics and staging area for the fight.
As a result, Mitchell and his team along with the 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group were tasked with rebuilding the runway.

“It was up to us to analyze the runway and report it to chain of command,” Mitchell said. “Once all the information was gathered, the planning stage began.”
Mitchell and his team were given 21 days to repair the runway from the ground up.

“At first I didn’t know what to expect with the deadline given,” Mitchell said. “But talking to the team prior to the mission, I knew we would accomplish the goal and get the runway back up and running again.”

With the task at hand, the team got to work and started the rebuilding process. It wasn’t a smooth process as they had to complete the task under the threat of ISIS’ indirect fire and chemical weapons.

“We were in full battle gear the whole time including helmets,” Mitchell said. “During our renovation, ISIS fired mortars in our area and we had to take cover. Sometimes we would be in the process of laying down concrete while being mortared and had to find a way to stabilize the concrete.”

Another time, ISIS blew up a sulfur plant forcing the Airmen to don chemical masks throughout as they completed their renovations.

“We didn’t think that we would ever wear a gas mask,” Mitchell said. “Thankfully the training that we received paid off in the long run and helped us keep a good mind set.”

While these incidents slowed the process down, it didn’t discourage the Airmen from completing the job.

“Everyday was a sense of pride for us,” Mitchell said. “We all made sure we did our job to the best of our ability. We knew that rebuilding the runway would push ISIS back and help Iraqis move large amount of supplies to their army to fight back against ISIS. ”

With the runway completed, Mitchell reflects on what him and his team accomplished.

“This is the first time something this huge has been done in the Central Command in a combat environment,” Mitchell said. “Overall, the team was amazing. After everything we went through, I can truly call them family for the rest of my life.”