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McChord delivers Airmen, supplies to New Orleans

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
NEW ORLEANS, La. --  A C-17 Globemaster III from the 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., provided rapid deployment of a four-man team and 15,500 lbs of cargo from the 615th Contingency Response Wing at Travis AFB, Calif., into New Orleans International Airport Saturday in preparation for Hurricane Gustav.

The 615th CRW opens forward bases and extends existing Air Mobility Command infrastructure in austere environments via rapid forward deployment capabilities and presents a core capability to initial responding forces.

The Airmen from McChord's 10th Airlift Squadron were ready for a quick departure after being placed on 24-hour alert Friday to aid people in the southern United States should Hurricane Gustav, now projected to be a Category 5, make landfall.

"I made the request Thursday for Airmen to be mobilized in response to this Hurricane," said Col. Leon Contreras, Department of Defense senior liaison officer for Air Force support of Hurricane Gustav. "In less than 24 hours, C-17 Globemaster IIIs started getting me the people and supplies I needed to run our operation here in New Orleans. That's why I love the airframe and it continues to show how invaluable it is to the nation."

Aircrews and C-17 aircraft from McChord and Travis will continue to deliver cargo into New Orleans throughout Sunday and Monday.

"McChord's airlift capability and Airmen blend seamlessly with lead federal agencies directing hurricane response efforts," said Col. Jeffrey Stephenson, 62nd AW commander. "The C-17 is demonstrating how quickly we can bring specialized response teams and massive volume of relief supplies into airfields with limited capability and why our Air Mobility Airmen are the best in the world."

Historically, McChord Airmen have been heavily involved in many humanitarian efforts, most recently including relief efforts in the country of Georgia, Americans fleeing Lebanon in 2006, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

McChord aided in the relief efforts of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, evacuating more than 1,100 people from New Orleans and delivering more than 550 tons of equipment, water, food and medical supplies.