Whiteman Airmen support developing nations Published Nov. 2, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Montse Ramirez 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. (AFNS) -- Members of the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron, along with members of the 729th Airlift Squadron, completed a humanitarian mission to Honduras, recently. The mission was part of the Denton Amendment. "The Denton Amendment provides humanitarian and civic assistance in conjunction with military operations, allowing organizations that would not ordinarily have the means to transport their donations through military aircraft to those in needs," said 1st Lt. Stefan Hafner, the 509th Logistic Readiness Squadron deputy deployment and distribution flight commander. "Providing much needed school supplies to countries, or most importantly kids (who) do not have them is vitally important to developing nations," Lieutenant Hafner said. Whiteman AFB was the handover point from civilian charitable organizations to the U.S. military transportation system. "Whiteman was in charge of coordinating the delivery and build up of all 21,995 pounds of donated cargo to Air Force pallets and load the shipment on the C-17 cargo plane that picked it up," said Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Mount, the 509th LRS noncommissioned officer in charge of small air-terminal operations. Building up and loading these pallets onto an aircraft afforded Whiteman AFB Airmen the opportunity to practice the skills they are trained to use for deployments and exercises in a tangible and meaningful way, Lieutenant Hafner said. "We always embrace the chance to do these types of missions because of the good that is being done with this humanitarian cargo, as well as the opportunity to practice our skills," Sergeant Mount said. "In the past we have moved wheelchairs to Iraq and an ambulance to El Salvador. The sense of mission accomplishment is outstanding."