First to 500

Kasper Chevalier, a member of the 721st Aerial Port Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, recently became the first Air Force civilian to reach 500 missions as an aerial port expeditor, or APEX. He is a Dutch national. “I am proud that I have done this, but this is a team effort,” said Chevalier. He added, “I am proud of my team. . . . Each day we load millions and millions of pounds of cargo without any serious mishaps. That is the real accomplishment.” The Air Force began training APEX personnel about five years ago as a means of reducing the times for loadcrews on the ground. They have qualifications similar to aircraft loadmasters. Currently, the Air Force has nearly 170 certified APEX personnel, but Chevalier is just one of six APEX civilians dual-qualified on both the C-5 and C-17 transports. (Ramstein report by TSgt. Michael Voss)