JUNE 5, 2025 – The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), continues to employ aircraft with expertise, skill, and precision for partner nations as a part of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). The freedom of maneuver and air superiority is vital to the fight against the Daesh. This combat advantage to CJTF-OIR is largely attributed to the hard work of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Operators of F Company “Skymasters”, 6th Battalion, 101st CAB.
On a dry air strip, Staff Sgt. Gianni Dunlap sits on top of a dusted, wooden hut. With an AN/PRC -152 radio in hand, he calmly calls in two UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopters. Four hours into his twelve-hour shift, Dunlap is partially hungry from his breakfast at the Mobile Kitchen Trailer, only slightly rested from A-10 Thunderbolts flying overhead throughout the night, but happy.
“I am 100% happy to be here,” said Dunlap, the ATC facility chief. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than at this tower, at this facility. It really makes me feel like I’m doing something that’s worth it.”
Life at Rumalyn Landing Zone (RLZ) is fast paced and busy, despite its isolation from other U.S bases. Once a highly contested area of extremist influence, RLZ is now an important location for the lasting defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Keeping the air space overhead clear and organized for friendly aircraft is a critical job that the Skymasters do not take lightly. Over the course of the past five months, Dunlap, along with a crew of less than ten ATC Operators, have run on a 24-hour schedule controlling the Class-D airspace for over 1,000 aircraft movements.
“The success of our mission at RLZ is highly dependent on the commitment and professionalism of the Skymaster team,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Nicholas Koeppen, the 101 CAB brigade chief warrant officer. “Their efforts have been essential to the safe operation of aircraft across the region, and they serve as an active example of how we can fight further and under any condition.”
Soldiers at RLZ have limited access to typical amenities found at other camps such as Dining Facilities, United Service Organization clubs, or Post Offices. Despite the heavy workload and lack of resources, morale for the Skymasters is high. The detachment’s Non-Commissioned Officer in charge, Sgt. 1st Class John Renfro, accredits his Soldier’s interest in each other’s progression for the collective positivity.
“All of the people here have very similar mentalities,” said Renfro. “We all wanted to come out here and everyone here wants to be a controller and progress in the controlling world. But also, everyone here wants to see the Soldiers around them succeed.”
Renfro went on to say his team’s resilience and belief in the mission is what sets them apart.
“Everyone focuses on the mission and believes in it,” said Renfro. “They constantly go out there whether it’s as cold as can be or hot; sometimes amidst the rain or getting caught in sandstorms. Rather than complaining or griping about things they can’t control, they move on and continue to the next task.”
Today RLZ continues to be a central hub for CJTF-OIR aviation due to the incredible work of the Skymaster Soldiers to include Sgt. 1st Class John Renfro, Staff Sgt. Derek Lewis, Staff Sgt. Gianni Dunlap, Sgt. Nelson Diaz, Sgt. Gabriel Badger, Spc. Treyvonn Lethermon, Spc. Lane LeBlanc, and Spc. Devin McCullough.
“We knock it out of the park every time,” said Dunlap. “I’m happy when we build our team up. Each year we just get better and better and better. When we have new people come in, we give them the right way, the 101 way. Air Assault!”
The Skymaster team continues to showcase the 101 CAB’s high standard of excellence and if asked, Renfro is quick to proclaim, “We are the best controllers in the Army.”
Story by Capt. Andrew Lightsey IV
101st Combat Aviation Brigade