Mobility Airmen among key players in bringing displaced Egyptians home; delivering humanitarian aid

Published March 7, 2011
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Mobility Airmen based out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, were among the first on the scene March 4 in Djaerba, Tunisia, to begin transport Egyptian citizens home to Egypt after being displaced by the turmoil in Libya.

In a March 6 news report from U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs, four U.S. military aircraft -- three Air Force C-130J Super Hercules and one U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 -- supported the effort by flying the second daily rotation of U.S. military-supported flights from Djerba, Tunisia, to Cairo, Egypt.

On March 5, the first day of the transport operation, two Marine Corps KC-130s and two Air Force C-130s supported the effort, another report showed, transporting 312 Egyptians home. The second day of operations brought 328 Egyptians home.

"In two days of rotating flights, the U.S. military has flown a total of 640 Egyptians from Djerba to Cairo aboard eight separate aircraft sorties," the USAFRICOM report stated. "The airlift operations are being overseen by U.S. Africa Command and began less than twenty-four hours after President Barack Obama announced his approval to use U.S. military aircraft to help transport Egyptians who have fled to the Tunisian border."

Humanitarian operations too
But the operation is more than just transporting people. Mobility Airmen are also delivering humanitarian relief supplies.

According to a news report from 17th Air Force Public Affairs, mobility Airmen from Ramstein delivered humanitarian aid March 4 to Libyan evacuees and foreign nationals in Tunisia. The Airmen, assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron, piloted two of the C-130J Super Hercules used in the operation. They received 2,000 wool blankets, 40 units of tarps and 9,600 water containers from officials with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Pisa, Italy, to be delivered to Tunisia, the report stated.

The report also stated the thoughts of Lt. Col. Charles Schlegel, the 435th Air Mobility Squadron commander at Ramstein who is leading a contingency response team working with aircrews from the 37th Airlift Squadron on the humanitarian missions.

"We know that there are a lot of folks (who) are currently displaced, (who) will hopefully soon be able to return to their home countries and, hopefully, we can expedite that and bring humanitarian assistance to people who need it," Colonel Schlegel said in the 17th Air Force report. "The 17th Air Force did a great job coordinating with the agencies here, making sure the (aid) was ready and could be quickly delivered to people who are in need. This is being driven by the State Department, and we are ready to support any requests they have."

According to the USAFRICOM Web site, the U.S. military is playing a supporting role in the much larger U.S. government emergency response.

"On March 3, 2011, President Obama ordered the U.S. military to help provide transport for Egyptians who had fled from Libya to Tunisia following the Libyan government's violent reprisals against demonstrators," the Web site states. On March 4, 2011, less than a day after President Obama's announcement, the operations began.

"These U.S. military aircraft fill a critical niche in being able to provide short-haul passenger transport," the USAFRICOM Web site shows.

About the Air Force units
The 37th Airlift Squadron is part of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein. According to the Ramstein Web site, the 86th Operations Group "provides theater airlift, distinguished visitor transport and aeromedical evacuation capability by maintaining readiness to deploy and employ all assets across the spectrum of air combat support missions." The wing also maintains an aircraft fleet of one C-40B, two C-20Hs, ten C-21As, one C-37 and 14 C-130Js - including the two C-130Js participating on the transport operation.

Colonel Schlegel's 435th Air Mobility Squadron at Ramstein is part of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing. That wing's mission is to "rapidly establish expeditionary airfield operations and communications; integrate joint fires and weather across the full spectrum of conflict; and provide theater-wide combat support and training," according to the Ramstein Web site. The wing consists of more than 1,500 personnel divided into four groups and 11 squadrons with 19 geographically separated units located across 14 sites. Each group assumes a specific portion of the wing's operational mission.

(U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs, Ms. Cheryl Pellerin, American Forces Press Service, and Master Sgt. Jim Fisher, 17th Air Force Public Affairs, contributed to this report.)