Mobility Airmen deliver aid to Georgia

  • Published
  • By Capt. Shilo Weir
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) --  Air Force mobility Airmen and aircraft delivered more than 78 tons of humanitarian aid supplies Aug. 13 and 14 to the people of the Republic of Georgia.

Two Air Force C-17 Globemaster IIIs carried relief supplies including medical items, blankets, sheets, cots, air mattresses and sleeping bags from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to Tbilisi International Airport to aid Georgian citizens in their time of crisis.

"The flexibility of our mobility forces allowed our nation to respond quickly to the Republic of Georgia's request for assistance," said Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command.

The C-17s, based at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., were flown by aircrews from the 436th Airlift Wing, Dover AFB, Del., and the 305th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J.

Mobility Airmen came together on the ground and worked around the clock for 36-hours to prepare the humanitarian supplies on airlift pallets and load the C-17s. The emergency shelter items and medical supplies were provided from State Department stock at the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center in Pirmasens, Germany.

Officials from Air Mobility Command partnered with the European Command and the United States Air Forces in Europe to expedite relief for the Georgian people, in support of the U.S. response.

"Air mobility brings a unique tool to our nation and its partners," said General Lichte. "It underwrites our ability to project power and reach and allows us to provide assistance to those in need."

General Lichte noted that air mobility has a long history, dating back 60 years to the famed Berlin Airlift, of providing humanitarian relief that provides lessons and insights that continue to be applied by today's mobility Airmen.

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page