'Combat auditors' take Iraq by storm Published Oct. 12, 2006 By Steve Brady 21st Space Wing Public Affairs Peterson AFB, Colo. -- An accountant donning a flak vest and Kevlar helmet goes directly against the stereotypical number cruncher wearing a suit and tie wielding a calculator and spectacles. But that is exactly what eight civilian auditors did when they deployed to Iraq and Qatar for 45 days in May to inspect Air Force processes. The eight were from the Air Force Audit Agency, six of whom belong to the Mountain Area Audit Office, located in Building 350 here. "We never thought when we were in college getting accounting degrees that we would be halfway around the world flying combat missions," said John Sobeck, an auditor with the mountain area office. Mr. Sobeck and the others - David Hilburg, Bryce Barton, Bruce Amos, Pauline Barela and Diana Paulson, and two others from Kirtland Air Force Base, N. M., volunteered for the trip. The group conducted centrally directed audits for the Air Force, or local audits for Central Command Air Forces or Air Combat Command Headquarters. The group normally conducts compliance and financial audits for Peterson, Schriever, the Air Force Academy and Cheyenne Mountain. "It was a good experience," said Mr. Barton, who has deployed there twice. "We go out and look at Air Force people to see how they can do things more efficiently, and we sometimes look through rose-colored glasses. It was good to see what they do in a deployed situation." Audits included fuels management and how it was accounted for, government purchase card audits and accountability for purchases, laundry services, the base supply system and the theater battle management core system, an on-base application that connects all the work centers. The group worked six days a week, 10 hours a day, and faced some interesting situations while in theater. "For me an interesting aspect was a nighttime 'combat landing' into Balad on a C-130," Mr. Amos said. In a combat landing, pilots vary their runway approach and make various "sharp turns" and dives to make the aircraft a difficult target for a surface-to-air strike. "It was unsettling if you have a weak disposition," he said. Being deployed involved many of the same requirements as servicemembers. "We deploy just like military folks," Mr. Sobeck said. "We took NBC training, self aid and buddy care, we had the gas mask fit test and Bruce (Amos) and I qualified with a 9 mm pistol. I have no prior military experience, so it was an eye-opening experience to deploy with the military folks and walk a mile in their shoes for some of the experiences they deal with." During their time there, they had to wear either the desert camouflage or PT uniform, and faced some of the same conditions other servicemembers faced in camp, including the daily specter of mortar attacks. "There were a couple nights where we were ducking under our beds with body armor on," during a mortar attack, Mr. Sobeck said. "They would announce 'Incoming, incoming,' over the Giant Voice system. You feel the thud and hear the boom; it was disturbing." Despite the attacks, they were there to fulfill the agency's mission to assist the Air Force in becoming more efficient and accountable. "It's a humbling experience to be there, and I've been on active duty," Mr. Amos said. "I never got to practice the craft in a war environment and so that was one of the reasons I went. "To be there and see these young warriors in harm's way - it felt kind of bad at first, because they're trying to accomplish a war mission in a war zone, and we were counting sunglasses," he said. "But from a big picture, there are some inefficiencies and we identified some of those, so there is a valid need. "I think it was a win-win, and the fact that several of us that have been there are considering going back, it lets you know that although it's in a war zone, it's a rewarding experience."