McChord aircrew delivers response team, supplies to New Orleans

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
  • 62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
NEW ORLEANS (AFPN) --  A C-17 Globemaster III from the 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., provided rapid deployment of a four-man contingency response team and 15,500 pounds of cargo from the 615th Contingency Response Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to the Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans Aug. 30 in preparation for Hurricane Gustav.

Airmen with the 615th CRW open forward bases and extend existing Air Mobility Command infrastructure in austere environments via rapid forward deployment capabilities and present a core capability to initial responding forces.

The aircrew from McChord's 10th Airlift Squadron was ready for a quick departure after being placed on 24-hour alert Aug. 29 to aid people in the southern United States when Hurricane Gustav made landfall.

"I made the request (Aug. 28) for Airmen to be mobilized in response to this Hurricane," said Col. Leon Contreras, Department of Defense senior liaison officer for Air Force response to Hurricane Gustav. "In less than 24 hours, C-17 Globemaster IIIs started getting me the people and supplies I needed to run our operation here in New Orleans. That's why I love the airframe and it continues to show how invaluable it is to the nation."

Aircrews and C-17 aircraft from McChord and Travis will continue to deliver cargo into New Orleans as needed.

"McChord's airlift capability and Airmen blend seamlessly with (representatives of) lead federal agencies directing hurricane response efforts," said Col. Jeffrey Stephenson, 62nd AW commander. "The C-17 is demonstrating how quickly we can bring specialized response teams and a massive volume of relief supplies into airfields with limited capability and why our Air Mobility Airmen are the best in the world."

Historically, McChord Airmen have been heavily involved in many humanitarian efforts, most recently including relief efforts in the country of Georgia, Americans fleeing Lebanon in 2006 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

McChord Airmen aided in the relief efforts of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, evacuating more than 1,100 people from New Orleans and delivering more than 550 tons of equipment, water, food and medical supplies.

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