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CRW members poised to support hurricane effort

  • Published
  • By Capt. Brooke Brzozowske
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKERHURST, N.J. --  Twelve members from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., deployed and prepositioned themselves Aug. 27 and 28, in support of Hurricane Isaac.

Col. Dwight Dorau, 621st Contingency Operations Support Group commander, deployed Aug. 27 to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., as the Director of Mobility Forces (DIRMOBFOR) in order to establish the liaison between the Air Force North's Air and Space Operations Center and Air Mobility Command's 18th Air Force.

Dorau's two-man DIRMOBFOR team was the lead element of a Rapid Augmentation Team (RAT) that deployed to support the possible increase of air operations if Air Force assets are called upon to support FEMA's hurricane relief efforts.

"Although we were hoping - the damage would be minimal, our Airmen were in position to coordinate immediate airlift and aeromedical evacuation assistance as and when it would be required," said Lt. Col. Joseph Wenckus, 21st Air Mobility Operations Squadron commander.

Shortly after the DIRMOBFOR team arrived, the Air Force North's 601st Air Mobility Division, made up of Florida Air National Guard air mobility experts, realized they wouldn't have the manning to manage the potential requirements to support Hurricane Isaac relief.

As such, the 21st AMOS was alerted to a potential requirement for 10 additional air mobility virtuosos the following afternoon, and launched with less than 12-hour notice on verbal orders.

"The 10 of us made it down to the 601st AMD this afternoon and are standing by to assist NORTHCOM and AMC in any Hurricane Isaac relief," Wenckus said. "Our Airmen are extremely motivated to be down here, realizing the potential to coordinate real-world aid to the Hurricane-stricken gulf coast."

Established in March 2005 and based at JBMDL and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., the 621st consists of approximately 1,500 Airmen in six groups, 14 squadrons and more than 20 geographically separated operating locations aligned with major Army and Marine Corps combat units.

Today, more than ever, the Air Force is supporting mobility operations all over the globe. Operations such as ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM and NEW DAWN and humanitarian assistance deployments such as Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti and Pakistan Earthquake relief operations are tributes to the 621st CRW's capabilities and readiness in providing mission support whenever and wherever the requirement exists.