First mail truck arrives at Pápa

  • Published
  • By Capt Juha Miettinen
  • Heavy Airlift Wing
Pápa AB, Hungary --  There were cheers when the first U.S. mail truck arrived at Pápa Airbase in Hungary Thursday. The mail arrived directly from the Frankfurt Aerial Mail Terminal.

"It was so good to see the smiles on the airmen's faces, when they heard that the mail was coming," Technical Sergeant Jason Simpson commented while unloading the mail from the truck.

In the age of internet and e-mail, the good old mail still has a special place in the heart of those serving abroad. However, the contents of the mail sack have changed slightly over the years.

"People don't get so many letters these days," TSgt Simpson explains. "They usually get boxes and packages full of food and other stuff they cannot get over here like peanut butter or taco shells."

The regular mail also helps airmen to take care of their monetary commitments while serving abroad.

"The ability to receive bills is also important so people can make their payments on time," TSgt Simpson points out.

In the beginning the mail trucks will roll into Pápa every Thursday, but in the next year when the rest of the U.S. personnel arrive, the mail truck is scheduled to visit Pápa twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. That means busy days for TSgt Simpson, who is supporting from 2nd Air Postal Squadron.

Serving in a Multinational Wing

The U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Pápa are serving in the Heavy Airlift Wing of the Strategic Airlift Capacity. SAC is a consortium of Ten NATO nations (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and the United States) and two Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations (Finland and Sweden).

The participating nations will procure two Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) through the NATO Airlift Management Agency, while the US will provide one aircraft as a US contribution.

Maintenance for the aircraft will come through the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership, under which Boeing provides Contractor Logistics Support for C-17 customers.