Humanitarian aid bound for tsunami relief effort
A C-17 Globemaster III sits as crews prepare to take off to deliver humanitarian supplies to the tsunami-devastated Samoa region in the South Pacific Sept. 30, 2009, at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. A multiagency contingent from Hawaii, including active-duty Airmen at Hickam AFB, Soldiers with the Hawaii National Guard and Airmen with the Hawaii Air National Guard, took off bound for American Samoa with relief supplies and equipment to assist in the region. Reports indicate the islands have suffered greatly, villages are wiped out and more than a thousand residents and visitors are displaced. An undersea earthquake churned up tsunamis Sept. 29 that left more than 140 people dead in the Samoa region. More than 90 Airmen and Soldiers deployed from Hawaii for the humanitarian mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Mike Meares)