Airmen in Pakistan relate 2005 earthquake to 2010 flood operations

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kali Gradishar
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
PAKISTAN AIR FORCE BASE CHAKLALA, Pakistan --  Approximately five years ago, more than 60 Airmen from the 818th Contingency Response Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., were notified to pack their bags and deploy to Pakistan.  Their mission was to support relief efforts after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake left more than 80,000 people dead.  Homes, businesses and hospitals were in ruins.

Two of those Airmen returned to Pakistan five years later with more than 30 members of a contingency response element from the 818th CRG to support flood relief efforts after torrential rains and flooding affected more than 20 million people and left one-fifth of the agricultural country under water.

As Master Sgt. Clay Baxter, the CRE aerial port superintendent, and Staff Sgt. Joshua Gaines, an aerial porter, arrived in Pakistan for the second time to support a humanitarian operation, they looked back on knowledge previously gained to obtain a better idea of what operations would be like.

"Initially, when we got here in 2005, it was exactly how it is now.  (It was) very, very fast-paced in getting set up so we could operate and offload the very next aircraft that landed," Sergeant Baxter said. "Two things that helped me this time, after being here in 2005, were knowing the lay of the land, as far as knowing how much real estate we had to operate on, and then knowing that the Pakistanis are really great to work with."

When the CRE Airmen arrived at Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala Aug. 28, operations began much like they did in 2005: immediately.

"It was a lot easier coming here this time because I knew a little about what to expect," Sergeant Gaines said.  "In 2005, it was an eye-opener to see what operations were like, who has been in the Air Force for more than six years."

Airmen exited the aircraft, set up operations tents and, as was the case in 2005, set up their own living quarters. At the same time, they offloaded aircraft bringing in additional manpower, equipment and relief supplies.

"The pace is always fast in the beginning just because we're trying to find our rhythm, or groove," Sergeant Baxter said. "Once we hit our groove at about a week it seems to slow down, but I think that's just an illusion."

As U.S. Airmen were working to set up their own operations and offload aid pouring in from the international community, people from other nation's militaries and non-government organizations also launched operations to support Pakistan, just as they did following the 2005 earthquake.

"Both have been joint missions," Sergeant Gaines said. "We had different branches of the U.S. military working here on the same mission, and there were other countries here, too."

As the two natural disasters brought devastation on completely different scales, the way the contingency response element ran operations was distinctive.

"Last time we were here, it was for an earthquake ... I think (flood relief operations are) a lot larger scale because it wasn't just one particular area that was affected," Sergeant Gaines said. "Getting all these aircraft out with cargo feels pretty good, knowing that we're getting supplies out to affected areas all over the entire country."

The CRE's workload has been tremendous since they arrived late August through to the end of fixed-wing relief operations Oct. 3, and there were a number of challenges to overcome, Sergeant Baxter said.

"We had roughly double the (number) of people that we have this time, and I think that was an appropriate number in 2005," he said.  "We also had had more equipment in 2005."

With fewer people and less equipment now, "we basically found smarter ways to get ahead to face that challenge and work around it the best we can by focusing on what is going to happen next, and less on what's happening now," he said.

"We also have a lot of people here now who are willing to step out of their prescribed duties to help the port and load aircraft," he said. "We have a squadron commander, vehicle maintenance and duty officers pushing pallets. We even have the doc and an (independent duty medical technician) pushing pallets. We have (aerospace ground equipment troops) helping us. We have aircraft maintenance (Airmen) driving forklifts. It really has been a team effort this time that we didn't have last time."

While there have been differences between the relief operations for the 2005 earthquake and the 2010 flood relief, many things remained the same including the necessity for communication and coordination with the Pakistan government and military, and the opportunities to learn about fellow countries and their people and culture.

"I told my guys before we left, forget about what you heard about (Pakistan) in the news and in the movies," Sergeant Baxter said. "Seek them out and shake their hand, because they are really great people. If you'll just take the time to get to know them, you will really enjoy working with them.  To get to know them all over again makes the job so much easier, when you interact with each other as human beings versus foreigners and stereotypes."

While the CRE Airmen may not always get to see the influence their work has on others, their support has been instrumental in both the 2005 earthquake and 2010 flood relief operations.

"Obviously we don't get to see the impact," Sergeant Baxter said. "We just load the planes with the food and supplies and don't get to see who it's helping or where it's helping. You have to visualize the impact because you don't get to see it first-hand, but you just know that you're making a difference."