California Air National Guard assists Texas for Hurricane Ike

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MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, Calif. --  California Air National Guardsmen from the 129th Rescue Wing here, already deployed to Ellington Field in Houston for Hurricane Ike search and rescue support operations, relocated Sept. 11 to Kelly Field in San Antonio because of Hurricane Ike's projected path.

Assigned to Joint Task Force 129, the 129th Rescue Wing people and equipment deployed Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 to perform then Hurricane Gustav rescue operations and remained in Texas because additional storms were forecast to hit the Gulf Coast.

Joint Task Force 129 is a self-contained search and rescue unit comprised of more than 100 people, including highly trained pararescuemen, four HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, and two MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers. Air National Guardsmen from the 176th Wing, Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska, are also part of the rescue task force.

After Hurricane Ike passes through the region, JTF personnel will proceed directly to the disaster area to perform rescue operations as needed.

"Even after supporting the fire suppression operations and rescue missions here in California, the 129th quickly transitioned and deployed its life-saving capabilities to assist another region of the country," said Col. Amos Bagdasarian, 129th Rescue Wing commander.

As an Air National Guard unit, many of the 129th's past missions involved supporting state emergencies that included earthquakes, chemical spills, fires and floods. Equipped with MC-130P Combat Shadow tankers and HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, the 129th has performed a wide variety of civilian search and rescue missions, including distressed persons aboard ships, lost or injured hikers, and medical evacuations. The total number of people saved by the 129th RQW is 564.