Maintenance officer reunites with old friend in Iraq, inspires husband to follow

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Williams
  • 934th Airlift Wing
Minneapolis-St. Paul --  "I'll never watch the news in the same way again," said a 934th Airlift Wing lieutenant colonel following her recent return from Iraq.

Lt. Col. Maureen "Moe" Banavige, 934th Maintenance Squadron commander, spent six-months in the Multinational Zone (formerly known as the "Green Zone") in Baghdad, Iraq, serving as a liaison officer between the Air Force, Army and the Iraq Air Force, facilitating training and maintenance for the Iraq Air Force fixed-wing and helicopter programs.

She found it fascinating to watch the interaction between the members of the various branches, and found the language barrier a challenge. Not only was the English-Arabic barrier a challenge to overcome, but also the barrier created by the lingo of the different branches.

"Each branch had its' own way of doing things and describing things," she said. "It was quite the challenge to smooth things over and overcome the hurdles. But that was part of my job."

Despite the occasional rocket or mortar fire, she insists she was never in imminent danger and the situation was not as gloomy as the news reports broadcast stateside.

"Iraq is still a dangerous place, don't get me wrong. But I have a deeper appreciation for those who venture 'outside the wire' or on convoy operations. They are the ones who keep those of us inside the Multinational Zone safe," she said.

While she describes her job as being routine and mundane, her eyes danced with excitement when discussing a reunion with an "old friend."

Now bearing an Iraqi tail number, the C-130E formerly known as 62-1839 and named "City of Rochester" was the workhorse of the Flying Vikings fleet for several years. It set flying hour records in the 1960s, flew to Antarctica, was involved in numerous deployments, and served as the wing's Air Mobility Command Rodeo competition aircraft in 2000, before being transferred to Ramstein Air Base, Germany a few years later, and subsequently to Iraq.

"It was great seeing that airplane again!" the colonel said. "It still has 934th Airlift Wing decals on three of the four engines, so I felt like I was among friends, despite being in the desert environment. I'm in the Maintenance Group here and that aircraft and I have a lot of history together, which made it all the more special."

During her six-month deployment, she kept in constant contact with her husband, Joe, and their children.

"The kids handled the deployment quite well, but they are still at an age where they don't ask a lot of questions," she said.

As for her husband - that's another story. While the colonel was telling him about her experiences, he became inspired to do something to help the effort over there. He joined the U.S. Department of State as a civilian economic advisor.

After her return in June, they had a brief reunion before he went to Washington, D.C., for a training course and is now deployed in Iraq on a one-year tour.

"So now I guess it's my turn to have to sit at home and worry," she said.

When asked if she would go again, Colonel Banavige said she has no future deployments on the horizon. She is just waiting for her husband to return so they can have another reunion.

Still, she is as proud of him for going over as he was with her.

"After all, what we're witnessing in Iraq is the birth of a nation. And to have had a role in it is incredible. How cool is that?"