Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 15th Airlift Squadron, assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, load a CRW Hardside Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) onto a Globemaster III C-17, also from JB Charleston, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621 CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 15th Airlift Squadron, assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, load a CRW Hard-side Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) onto a Globemaster III C-17, also from JB Charleston, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621st CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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An Airmen from the 15th Airlift Squadron, assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, helps chain down a Hard-side Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) belonging to the 621st Contingency Response Wing, onto a Globemaster III C-17, also from JB Charleston, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621st CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 15th Airlift Squadron, assigned to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, load a CRW Hard-side Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) onto a Globemaster III C-17, also from JB Charleston, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621st CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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A 621st Contingency Response Wing Hard-side Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) is chained down to a Globemaster III C-17 from JB Charleston, South Carolina, here, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621st CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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Three Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing walk out of a Globemaster III C-17 from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, after loading a Hard-side Expandable Light Air-Mobile Shelter (HELAMS) here, Sept. 29, 2014. The HELAMS will be used by the 621st CRW in West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The CRW is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the CRW extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez)

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Airmen from the 305th Air Mobility Wing load cargo from the 621st Contingency Response Wing onto a Globemaster III C-17 before they deploy to West Africa here, Sept. 24, 2014. The 621st Contingency Response Wing's alert unit, 817th Contingency Response Group, is deploying to West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The 621st Contingency Response Wing is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the 621st extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Russell Meseroll)

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Airmen from the 305th Air Mobility Wing load cargo from the 621st Contingency Response Wing onto a Globemaster III C-17 before they deploy to West Africa here, Sept. 24, 2014. The 621st Contingency Response Wing's alert unit, 817th Contingency Response Group, is deploying to West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The 621st Contingency Response Wing is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the 621st extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Russell Meseroll)

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Airmen from the 305th Air Mobility Wing load cargo from the 621st Contingency Response Wing onto a Globemaster III C-17 before they deploy to West Africa here, Sept. 24, 2014. The 621st Contingency Response Wing's alert unit, 817th Contingency Response Group, is deploying to West Africa in support of Operation UNITED ASSISTANCE in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. The 621st Contingency Response Wing is highly-specialized in training and rapidly deploying personnel to quickly open airfields and establish, expand, sustain, and coordinate air mobility operations. From wartime taskings to disaster relief, the 621st extends Air Mobility Command's reach in deploying people and equipment around the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Russell Meseroll)

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621st CRW Airmen, 688 RPOE Soldiers deploy to Liberia in support of Ebola outbreak humanitarian relief operations

Published Oct. 2, 2014
By Staff Sgt. Gustavo Gonzalez
621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- A rapid-response team of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army air and surface mobility specialists deployed to Liberia, Sept. 17, in support of Operation UNITIED ASSISTANCE, a comprehensive U.S. effort to support the World Health Organization and international partners to assist the governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in their efforts to contain the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

Approximately 60 members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the 688th Rapid Port Opening Element from Joint Base Langley-Eustis,Virginia, merged as a Joint Task Force-Port Opening and began assessment operations at Roberts International Airport, Monrovia, to evaluate the airfield infrastructure.

"The Airmen and Soldiers of our JTF-PO team train together on a routine basis for missions such as these," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kyle Benwitz, JTF-PO contingency response element commander. "When the call came in, we were ready and able to assist the host nation's residents in their moment of need."

The JTF-PO specializes in rapidly establishing hubs for cargo distribution operations worldwide, to include remote or damaged locations, on short notice. Previous deployments include humanitarian assistance support missions to Haiti, Pakistan and Japan, and contingency deployments in support of military operations in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and South America.