AMC 'first responders' continue supporting humanitarian effort

Published Nov. 17, 2005
By 1st Lt. Erick Saks
818th CRG/24th AEG public affairs officer

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (AMCNS) -- Members of the 818th Contingency Response Group/24th Air Expeditionary Group continue to handle hundreds of thousands of pounds of cargo each day as part of the earthquake recovery effort here.

The unit is comprised primarily of members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing and the 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. The 621st CRW and 305th AMW are assigned to 18th Air Force at Scott AFB, Ill.

Col. Richard Walberg, 818th CRG/24th AEG commander, said while much of his unit's "visible work" is accomplished in the cargo yard, there is much more activity that keeps the unit on target.

“This is the first time in the history of the CRG or the [Tanker Airlift Control Element] that we have been chopped to a command outside of Air Mobility Command,” said Colonel Walberg.

To lead this diverse unit, Colonel Walberg chose to use an A-staff structure rather than the Air Force’s traditional squadron structure. The group leadership is responsible for all aspects of the unit’s operations from personnel and communications to force protection and planning.

“We’re using an A-staff here to help relate to our sister service counterparts,” said the colonel. “In the joint environment, it’s easier to refer someone to my 'A3' rather than my 'operations squadron commander.'”

The air transportation specialists, also known as aerial porters, make up the largest part of the unit. These are the professional cargo movers who are traditionally part of a CRG, said Tech. Sgt. Michael Felton, air transportation specialist.

“[Air transportation specialists] are responsible for downloading the planes, inventorying the cargo, and getting cargo on the trucks,” said Sergeant Felton. “We only have about 11 people on each 12-hour shift, so coordination is a very important part of what we do. At the beginning of each shift, everyone is given their assignments so they all know what to do.”

Another group of people normally associated with a CRG are the airfield support personnel. This group includes ramp controllers, aircraft maintenance personnel and aerospace ground equipment specialists.

The ramp controllers work with the aircrews and immigrations to make sure all the paperwork is properly coordinated, but the job doesn’t stop there, said ramp controller Master Sgt. Michael Roe.

“Whatever the aircrew needs, I do,” Sergeant Roe said. “You have to be a 'Jack-of-all-trades.' Whether you’re working immigration or helping to get fuel, you have to be prepared for anything.”

The aircraft maintainers not only fix broken aircraft, but also assist in numerous other areas of airfield operations, according to Staff Sgt. Richard Bowen, an aircraft maintainer.

“We assist in the launch and recovery of all U.S. assets,” said Sergeant Bowen. “We perform maintenance to the aircraft when it’s needed. We also can assist in the loading and configuration of the aircraft.”

Aerospace ground equipment specialists are generally the first on the ground when a CRG is called to do its mission, according to Staff Sgt. Mike Taylor, an AGE specialist.

“We’re very involved with the initial camp setup,” said Sergeant Taylor. “We establish the camp layout, [and] set up the environmental control units and generators. They send us because we can do it all.”

A new addition to the group is the inclusion of special tactics personnel, such as pararescuemen and combat controllers.

The pararescue, or PJ, function provides two capabilities to the unit — a search and rescue capability and disaster relief role, according to 1st Lt. Troy Arce, CRG/AEG combat rescue officer.

“PJs offer a full-spectrum pararescue capability, which includes on-scene immediate evaluation, emergency medical treatment, and we have the ability to gain access to isolated personnel,” said Lieutenant Arce. “Within the first 11 days of our mission, the team treated more than 100 patients in isolated villages.”

As part of the humanitarian mission here, the U.S. military is conducting airdrops of relief supplies. To coordinate these drops, there are several combat controllers assigned to the group.

“We are here to assess and survey the drop zones to get humanitarian aid into the area,” said a member of the combat control team. “We have to coordinate with Pakistani military officials and work with our air guys to get out there for the assessments, work out where the drop zones will be, and how the aircrews are going to get there.”

The group also has a medical unit to tend to the team's medical needs.

“We are here to keep everyone healthy and mission-ready under challenging environmental conditions,” said Lt. Col. Vince Santangelo, air transportable clinic commander. “The majority of what we’ve seen here are some minor injuries from moving cargo and the environmental conditions here.”

The 818th CRG and 24th AEG also include several one- to two-person specialties, which are critical to keeping the mission moving forward, according to Colonel Walberg. One of these areas is the material handling equipment maintenance specialists.

“My role is to be able to fix anything that moves cargo,” said Staff Sgt. Barry Pope, a material handling equipment maintenance specialist. “This primarily includes the forklifts and the Halverson loader, but I’ve been asked to work on everything from water heaters to TVs.”

The command and control function (otherwise known as C2) is responsible for coordinating all unit functions.

“We are the focal point for the unit,” said Staff Sgt. Elaine Brinkman, a C2 specialist. “We monitor the flights coming in and coordinate the ground support and the operations officer.”

Another small team which helps to keep the mission alive includes the finance and contracting NCOs. These individuals work side by side to ensure the unit has the goods and services necessary to sustain operations, according to Staff Sgt. Anthony Carrion, unit finance NCO.

“Primarily, we work with the vendors and make the payments,” said Sergeant Carrion. “There are a lot of things the unit needs that they need to purchase locally to function. Some of the items we’ve purchased include fuel, oil, cleaning supplies and office equipment.”

A public affairs officer was also added to the group to be the liaison between the unit and the news media, as well as maintain an internal information program.

“Our unit generally attracts a lot of attention, and I’ve found it to be critical to have public affairs along to work with the media,” said Colonel Walberg. “Public affairs also provides an avenue to keep the Airmen up to date with what’s going on back home and keep our families informed on how we’re doing out here.”

Together, this collection of individuals from various specialties has been responsible for the movement of more than 4,000 tons of humanitarian relief into Pakistan, according to Capt. Christopher Simmons, operations officer.

“I really enjoy working with all of these new people,” said the captain. “I think they all have a lot to offer, and they are a big part of why we’ve been so successful out here.”