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Mobility Airmen rapidly respond after Ecuador earthquake

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Joseph Swafford
  • 621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The United States, in coordination with the Ecuadorian government, deployed eight Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing to Ecuador to support ongoing international relief efforts for victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated the South American country April 16, 2016.

U.S. Southern Command requested the airfield assessment team, through U.S. Transportation Command and 18th Air Force, to deploy and assess the air traffic control challenges and airfield integrity following the earthquake.

"Our Airmen, with the support of the 60th Air Mobility Wing, executed a textbook contingency response deployment and assessment," said Col. Rhett Champagne, 821st Contingency Response Group commander. "We were a small, but important part supporting the overall U.S. government response to that situation, and our Airmen executed their mission as true professionals."

It took a whole team effort from various organizations around Travis Air Force Base, California, to get the team deployed in less than 24 hours. It started with the 60th Medical Group getting the team medically cleared and ended with the 60th Aerial Port Squadron helping get their equipment joint inspected and loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

"We could not have deployed in that short amount of time without the full support of the 60th AMW," Col. Champagne said. "This deployment highlighted how the entire 60th AMW supports us going out the door."
 
Capt. Jacob Becker, 821st Contingency Response Group contingency response element commander, echoed Col. Champagne's statement.

"If we are not in constant communication with our host wing, then operations like this risk being delayed," Becker said. "We have a great relationship with our host wing and are lucky to be supported by the men and women of the 60th Air Mobility Wing."

During the week-long mission, the team provided recommendations to local leaders to improve their ATC operations. The team also conducted structural analyses of the buildings that were damaged by the earthquake, proposing that an AN/MSN-7 Mobile ATC Tower be deployed to Eloy Alfaro International Airport to control air traffic. Lastly, the team observed and provided feedback on the cargo operations, helping out when able by loading and unloading supplies from cargo aircraft.

"Overall, this was a tremendous experience for each of the team members," Becker said. "We were able to build friendships in less than a week and have made lifelong friends. A misfortune for the people of Ecuador brought us to their country, and hopefully we made a positive impact on their lives, because their will to move forward impacted all of us."

Airmen assigned to the CRW are constantly training and participating in exercises in order to be ready to rapidly respond to crises and contingencies around the world. These prior experiences helped the team and prepared them for this short-notice mission.

"This mission was very similar to the annual Turbo Distribution exercise we attend," Becker said, "And each person was eager to put all of their training to use. The flexibility and composition of our team allowed us to accomplish more than a normal assessment team would have been able to, and it starts with local training and the determination to accomplish the tasks at hand."

The 621st CRW maintains a ready corps of light, lean and agile mobility forces. These forces are prepared to execute the mission for up to 45 days, and once redeployed home, are reconstituted within 72 hours and ready to once again answer the nation's call.