Major Chris McMartin served as a C-130 navigator with the 745th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Qatar in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Prior to deployment, McMartin was an instructor navigator at Randolph Air Force Base. He was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base when he was notified of this deployment. In this interview, McMartin discusses the typical rotation cycle for those pilots and navigators stationed at Dyess. He also discusses the predeployment training requirements and annual training requirements which need to be completed during the dwell time between deployments. McMartin deployed in June 2005 to Qatar at which time he received briefs and started the handoff. McMartin brought extra publications to study during down time. He discusses the overall situation when he arrived and the living conditions. The operational tempo was 18- to 20-hour days with a day of rest every other day. Since he was operating out of Qatar, McMartin flew personnel and/or equipment to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. He discusses the flight path they would take and the challenges of balancing predictable and unpredictable flight paths in attempts to prevent possible threats and attacks on the plane. McMartin enjoyed the opportunity to deploy and he was especially proud to be part of an airdrop mission in and around Kandahar. In August, McMartin redeployed early to attend additional training to upgrade to instructor. McMartin offers his lessons learned and recommendations based on this deployment. During this deployment, family separation was easier compared to subsequent deployments. McMartin redeployed in August 2005.

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