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McChord aircraft, people assist hurricane relief efforts

  • Published
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --   Both the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings here sent crews to New Orleans to assist in what, according to Air Force officials, has become the largest humanitarian airlift mission ever on U.S. soil.

The McChord AFB units airlifted more than 380 tons of supplies, including a front-end loader, two bulldozers and 14 security vehicles to Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. They also delivered 17 pallets of Meals Ready to Eat, water, and more than 40 members of the 82nd Army Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C. to the area, in addition to airlifting hundreds of survivors of Hurricane Katrina to safe havens in Texas, Arkansas and Georgia.

The looks on their faces said it all, said Tech. Sgt. Steve Courson, a 62nd Security Forces Squadron Raven sent to protect the aircraft and aid the evacuees. Ive never had to do work stateside, other than an exercise. Im glad to be able to help.

Capt. Alex Pelbath, a 4th Airlift Squadron pilot, felt the same.

Its unfortunate that it happened in the first place, but Im glad that were here, he said. Its incredibly rewarding.

C-17 crews arriving in New Orleans had to deal with confusing and heart-wrenching conditions. Many of the evacuees had lost or abandoned all their possessions and were dressed in little more than rags. Also, because of the storm the airport could not run full operations, so turnaround of aircraft took several hours.

As the immediate humanitarian mission continued, the efficiency of the operations improved. Meanwhile, the C-17s and their crews proved once again their incredible flexibility to complete the mission, said Captain Pelbath.

Many evacuees expressed their appreciation of the C-17 pilots, loadmasters and Ravens by shouting "Thank You" when they landed.

Its nice to help our citizens and give back to our country, said Senior Airman Francis San Luis, a 62nd SFS Raven.

McChord will continue to help in the aid and recovery as needed.

First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by this devastating storm, said Col. Steve Arquiette, vice commander of the 62nd AW. Bringing relief to these fellow Americans in the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina is going to be a team effort. The Air Force, along with our sister services, will offer our unique capabilities to assist federal and civil authorities.

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