JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. organize baggage to be loaded onto cargo pallets in the pre-dawn darkness, Oct. 28, 2012. The CRW was deploying approximately 65 Airmen from an air mobility contingency response team out of the path of Hurricane Sandy. This movement will ensure Air Mobility Command maintains the capability to respond to natural disasters or worldwide contingencies. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Quileighqua Tolbert-Coleman, an airfield manager assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. says goodbye to her daughter, three-year-old Deameriah Winters, while Deameriah’s temporary caretaker, Senior Master Sgt. Joe Barden, 818th Global Mobility Readiness Squadron superintendent, watches Oct. 28, 2012. She was being deployed to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. ahead of the path of Hurricane Sandy. Tolbert-Coleman’s husband was out of town at a funeral when Hurricane Sandy forced the deployment of her contingency response team to meet Air Mobility Command requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

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JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. fly aboard a JB MDL-based C-17 Globemaster III, Oct. 28, 2012. The CRW was deploying an air mobility contingency response team of approximately 65 Airmen from JB MDL to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. out of the path of Hurricane Sandy. This movement will ensure Air Mobility Command maintains the capability to respond to natural disasters or worldwide contingencies. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)

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Air mobility response team deploys to maintain alert capability during storm

Published Oct. 28, 2012
By Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres
621st Contingency Response Wing

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- A rapid-response team of U.S. Air Force air mobility specialists here are repositioning ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Sandy.

Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing moved alert equipment and approximately 65 personnel to MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Fla. early today to maintain Air Mobility Command's ability to rapidly deploy for post-hurricane relief efforts or any worldwide contingency response.

"As AMC's 911 force, we are moving these forces to ensure we are still able to respond if a call comes," said Colonel Marty Chapin, 621st CRW commander. "Our people are well-equipped and trained for these types of situations. Because of that, when called upon, we have the capabilities to deliver assistance to areas that need it most."

The CRW specializes in rapidly establishing hubs for air mobility operations worldwide, to include remote or damaged locations, on short notice. Previous deployments include humanitarian assistance support missions to Haiti, Pakistan and Japan, and contingency deployments in support of military operations in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and South America.

"Our mobility Airmen train daily to meet our requirement for rapid response to crises throughout the world. When we're called upon, we're ready to act - and act fast," Chapin said. "Our response time is a reflection of our quality training, teamwork and the disciplined professionalism of our CRW Airmen."