From Hawaii, C-17’s fly first contingency response mission

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo
  • Air Force Print News
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  Active-duty Airmen and Guardsmen from Hawaii are flying a C-17 contingency response mission to support relief efforts in the Philippines.

The split crew of active-duty Airmen from the 535th Airlift Squadron and Guardsmen from the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 204th Airlift Squadron departed Hickam Air Force Base Feb. 20 carrying meals ready to eat, water, cots, tents, heavy equipment and personnel from the Hickam’s 15th Airlift Wing to assist in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance after a massive mudslide in the region Feb. 17.

“This is a great day for Team Hickam and I can’t be more proud,” said Lt. Col. Chris Davis, 535th Airlift Squadron commander. “The 535th and 204th pulled together to make this mission happen and all the way from planning to execution, It was truly a total force effort.”

Originally scheduled as a maiden mission with a Hickam C-17, a Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., C-17 training in Hawaii was quickly substituted for the flight after a maintenance problem was discovered. With time being of the essence and a goal of getting supplies to the Philippines, the mission, regardless of the aircraft’s home base, is still a testament to the new era of airlift capability for Pacific Air Forces.

“We’re in the middle of the Pacific so we have reach in multiple directions,” said Capt. Jason Mills, a C-17 pilot from the 15th Operations Support Squadron who coordinated the short-notice mission. “From the South Pole to Australia New Zealand and anywhere in East Asia, our location allows us to respond to typhoons mudslides, tsunamis and other major contingencies faster, and with a larger airframe we can move more to affected areas with fewer flights.”

The mission came just days after the first of eight Pacific Air Forces C-17s, which will be flown and maintained jointly by active-duty Airmen and Guardsmen, arrived at the base.

“It’s a nice mix. We bring different experiences to the table. The Guard guys have a lot of flying experience and the active-duty guys have a lot of C-17 experience, so it’s a wonderful mix coming together,” said Lt. Col. Alvin Alana, 204th Airlift Squadron deputy commander. “When you get to do something like this that is helpful, it’s an awesome feeling.”

“I think the message for our allies in the Pacific Rim is that the C-17 is now here at Hickam Air Force Base,” Colonel Davis said. “We’re prepared and ready to operate in the Pacific now and well into the future.”