KC-10 crew performs humanitarian mission while training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn J. Jones
  • 514th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (AFNS) --  A flight crew of Airmen from here performed a mission Sept. 3 through 4 that will result in warmer winters for many Afghans.

The reservists from the 76th Air Refueling Squadron flew a KC-10 Extender to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., for 10 pallets of winter clothing, blankets and shoes that are destined for orphanages and villages near Kabul, Afghanistan.

"It's a great opportunity to use our expertise to help ease the burden of the Afghan people," said Lieutenant Col. Mike Brown, the crew's mission commander.

Though flying privately-donated humanitarian cargo is not one of the Air Force's primary missions, organizations may request their donation be transported through the Denton Program, which was developed by former Alabama Senator and Vietnam Prisoner of War Jeremiah Denton, and allows humanitarian donations to be transported on military aircraft on a space-available basis at the convenience of the military.

The Denton mission to Seymour Johnson AFB was not just a humanitarian mission. It also provided a training opportunity for the crew of reservists. While they had plenty of recent experience performing the KC-10's aerial refueling mission, several Airmen who were new to the squadron needed additional training with the aircraft's cargo transportation mission.

Tech. Sgt. Victor Torres was one of the primary beneficiaries of the cargo training, as he had recently switched his career specialty to become a KC-10 boom operator, and had little practical experience with loading cargo.

The Denton mission enabled him to learn his new trade while working alongside Tech. Sgt. Daniel Timko and Staff Sgt. Devon Jarvis, the two more-seasoned boom operators on the crew.

Sergeant Torres said the mission provided valuable hands-on experience which convinced him to devote more attention to the mathematical formulas he used to ensure that the humanitarian cargo was optimally balanced on the aircraft.

Airmen are no strangers to delivering humanitarian supplies to foreign countries. In fact, one of the Air Force's first major challenges was transporting humanitarian cargo during the Berlin Airlift, which was one of the defining events of the Cold War. The massive airlift operation was an early triumph for the young Air Force, and signified air power's contribution to rebuilding democracy in post-World War II Europe.

Though Denton missions cannot match the scope of the Berlin Airlift, they can contribute to an overall rebuilding strategy in Afghanistan.

"We're not just there to defeat the Taliban," Colonel Brown said. "We want the people of Afghanistan to be able to stand on their own as our ally."

The Denton program is jointly administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. The Denton Program must be used to support on-going relief and development projects, must be consistent with U.S. foreign policy objectives and must provide legitimate humanitarian assistance to the recipients.

Editor's Note: More information about the Denton Program can be found at http://hatransportation.ohasis.org.