Charleston closed, airlift still going strong

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shad Eidson
  • Air Force Print News
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., closed Aug. 31 because of severe weather conditions from Tropical Storm Ernesto, but the base's global airlift mission is still enduring.

The base's fleet of C-17 Globemaster III aircraft evacuated Aug. 30 to Whiteman AFB, Mo., and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to escape the inclement weather.

"It has been a great team effort across the Air Force to ensure the airlift mission continues in spite of Tropical Storm Ernesto," said Maj. Gina Jackson, spokesperson for the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston.

Whiteman has years of experience supporting a joint mission. It supports the B-2 Spirit mission of the active duty's 509th Bomb Wing, the A-10 Thunderbolt II mission of the Reserve's 442nd Fighter Wing, the AH-64 Apache mission of the Missouri Army National Guard and the undersea warfare mission of the Navy Reserve. After Hurricane Katrina, Whiteman was one of the bases that sent people and equipment to help out.

"We will provide support for whatever the C-17 crews need," said Maj. Joe DellaVedova, 509th Bomb Wing spokesperson. "Base operations are ready to support the airlift mission."

While airlift is new to Whiteman, the Reserve's 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson has been supporting that mission since 1994. The host wing, the 88th Air Base Wing, also has experience providing support for a variety of missions including the Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Force Research Laboratory and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center.

"Being a midwest inland base, Wright-Patterson is a safe haven for bases in hurricane areas along the Gulf Coast and we have agreements to support several bases including Eglin, Keesler, Tyndall, Charleston and the Marines at Cherry Point, to name a few," said David Egner, deputy chief of airfield management for the 88th ABW.

The C-17 aircraft and aircrews are prepared to continue their global airlift mission from their temporary bases until they can return to Charleston.