Shortly after the bus comes to a stop, the door opens and Petty Officer 3rd Class Austin Williams enters carrying a bag of cranials and floatation collars. As the 20 passengers don their gear, Williams briefs them about their upcoming flight.

Some of the passengers have already been traveling by air for the past 48 hours, yet as they make the trek across the airfield under the Bahraini sun and into the back of the C-2A Greyhound, it quickly becomes apparent their final flight will be unlike any of the others.

The group takes their seats, which face the back of the aircraft referred to as a COD (carrier on-board delivery), and as the ramp closes and they strap themselves in, their environment darkens, save for two patches of light sneaking through two small windows. They are about to pass through the final gate to reach their destination, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike), and "The Horsemen" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 Detachment IV will deliver them.

Since arriving in Manama in July, this has been a daily occurrence for the Horsemen, whose mission is to support Ike by transporting parts, mail and personnel to and from the ship utilizing their two C-2A Greyhounds, affectionately named Captain America and Hulk. The process begins each morning as the maintenance team begins their three-hour check process on Cap and Hulk, the latter of which has flown more than 10,000 hours since 1985.

"It's definitely challenging to maintain an older aircraft, but at VRC-40 we're up for that challenge," said Chief Petty Officer Von Callender. "We will always excel and have an up bird in the air for the fleet."

This sentiment is also shared by the detachment's Assistant Operations Officer Lt. Michael Massel.

"Our maintenance team is awesome," said Massel. "They're always out there ahead of time to take care of the bird and give it one last look over before the pilots come out."

Following the inspection, the crew begins to load the COD with the cargo that will be transported that day. In conjunction with Eisenhower Gypsy Detachment's cargo team, the crew loads anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds of mail and parts onto the CODs every day. Once the COD is loaded, its seats are configured to fit up to 25 passengers, space permitting. It is the transportation of these passengers, and specifically the new arrivals to the ship, that the Horsemen take particularly seriously.

"Their first experience with the real Navy, a lot of time, is the back COD," Massel said. "It's walking onto that ramp, seeing the aircrewman welcoming them and helping them strap in, and ultimately taking them to trap. It's our job to do that safely and make sure everyone on board is as comfortable as possible."

Once airborne, the passengers have roughly an hour to prepare for the thunderous landing on the aircraft carrier, but for Williams, watching the passengers react to that jolt isn't quite as rewarding as watching their reaction to what happens next.

"It's definitely a thrill to see those guys when you open the ramp to the flight deck for the first time." said Williams. "You see their eyes light up when they know that this is going to be their home for the rest of deployment. It's awesome to see on a daily basis."

Until Ike's deployment concludes, the Horseman will remain in Bahrain or travel anywhere else they are needed to support the ship.

"Everyone out on the ship, they don't have to worry about anything. We've got them," said Williams. "Whether it's their mail, their people or their parts, they don't have to worry. We're always going to be there for them."

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