Air Force arrives for earthquake relief

Published Nov. 8, 2005
By 1st Lt. Erick Saks
818th Contingency Response Group-Element Public Affairs

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (AMCNS) -- Members of the 818th Contingency Response Group-Element arrived here Oct. 11 and 12 to pave the way for humanitarian assistance in the wake of the country’s 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

The 46-member team deployed from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., as part of the U.S. effort to provide support based on requests from the Pakistani government, said Col. Richard Walberg, 818th CRG-E commander.

“The United States is providing airlift assets to meet the Pakistani’s most urgent needs,” Colonel Walberg said. “We are working to establish an air bridge into Pakistan by providing the ground support necessary to facilitate the flow of humanitarian airlift operations.”

Since they arrived, members of the 818th CRG-E have received nine aircraft and processed about 630,000 pounds of humanitarian relief, including food, cots and first aid supplies.

The team, which includes members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 305th Air Mobility Wing, arrived on two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft loaded with approximately 200,000 pounds of air operations equipment including vehicles, cargo loaders, a forklift, communication equipment and generators.

The 621st CRW is one of two specialized wings assigned to 18th Air Force. They are responsible for training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields in remote locations, and they help extend Air Mobility Command’s ability to deploy people and equipment around the globe in support of military and humanitarian missions. The recent history of the unit includes relief operations following the tsunami in Asia and hurricane Katrina and Rita in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

“We are ideally equipped and trained for this type of mission,” said Colonel Walberg, who returned from Hurricane Katrina relief operations just days prior to his deployment to Pakistan. “This team is made up of professional, well-trained Airmen, and I am confident they are ready for the task at hand.”

The 621st CRW team includes aerial port specialists, maintainers, communications specialists, and command and control personnel.

“We all know we have a lot of long days ahead, but everyone on the team understands the importance of this mission,” said Master Sgt. Perry O’Brien, an air transportation specialist with the unit who was also previously deployed for Katrina relief. “Our job is to keep the flow of supply of humanitarian aid open by managing the cargo as it arrives into the country. The cargo we process is going to keep a lot of people alive.”

In addition to the individuals sent from the 621st CRW, several support personnel from the 305th AMW have joined the team, including specialists in finance, contracting, vehicle maintenance and public affairs.

“I’m excited to be part of this team,” said Tech. Sgt. Gary Fowler, 818th CRG-E contracting specialist. “The impact of this earthquake is incredible, and I’m eager to do whatever I can to help the people here.”