Air traffic controller returns from IA in Bahrain

Bravo Zulu

AC2 Vincent DiLallo returned to South Texas recently after completing a 12-month Individual Augmentation assignment to Isa Air Base in Bahrain. He was welcomed by friends and command staff.

DiLallo arrived aboard NAS Corpus Christi in October 2016 and left six months later for the Individual Augmentee assignment working as a liaison controller with the Royal Bahraini Air Force, their aircraft, as well as U.S. aircraft supporting both Operation Enduring Freedom and Spartan Shield.

The Shelbyville, Missouri, native said he volunteered to go. “I thought that it would be a great experience that few people get to take advantage of. It worked out to my favor because I had just gotten stationed at Corpus Christi and didn’t have any qualifications at the facility, so they were able to let me go.”

DiLallo said the best part of the IA was the experience. “I was able to gain first-hand experience in the culture in a way that many people do not get to. I was able to get to know people there in the Middle East on a personal level, talk with them, hold deep conversations, and make lasting friends both in the military and civilian sector. It was an experience that I will never forget.”

He added that the toughest part of the assignment was the differences in culture. “You cannot shake hands with your left hand. You can’t cross your legs because they might see the bottom of your shoes. Both of those things are considered rude and disrespectful.

“A lot of things that we do here in the West is considered extremely offensive – and ensuring you’re not going to offend someone can be difficult.”