ANG Airmen provide contingency response in USVI

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Gorman
  • 115th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (AFNS) --  Air National Guard units from three U.S. states combined assets, manpower and expertise to provide critical control of military airlift to the heavily battered island of St. Thomas in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Airmen from the 133rd Airlift Wing in Minneapolis, Minnesota; 146th AW in Camarillo, California and 161st Air Refueling Wing in Phoenix demonstrated the real world capability of the airlift control flight Sept. 9, 2017, as they began to manage 24-hour flight operations at the Cyril E. King International Airport in St. Thomas.

“Stepping off the airplane we met a (Federal Emergency Management Agency) logistics representative who said that he was quickly becoming overwhelmed, was glad we were here and that the airfield was ours,” said Lt. Col. Jared Miller, 146th Airlift Control Flight operations officer. “He provided us with some real estate, we set up our (command and control) trailer, our billeting and we went to work.”

An airlift control flight is a compact force capable of short notice worldwide deployment to any airfield to set up mobile command and control of contingency, humanitarian or exercise missions.

Airmen selected to staff or support the function are trained in such specialties as logistics, air transportation, operations, communications, weather, security and equipment maintenance.

Like many airlift control flight members, air transportation specialist Tech. Sgt. Michael Gunderson is a traditional guardsmen, and was required to leave his civilian employment to support the recovery efforts in St. Thomas. As the manager of a youth sports program, the timing and short notice were difficult to accommodate, but worth the sacrifice. 

“This is why we do what we do,” Gunderson said. “It’s an opportunity to help people who need help, and I think it’s why most of us serve in the National Guard.”

Since their arrival, the Airmen supporting the airlift control flight have been instrumental in the movement of 440 Defense Department personnel and 712 short tons of military cargo, as well as thousands of tons of cargo arriving via contract air carriers. 

In addition to servicing aircraft from every U.S. service branch, they tended to other government entities and commercial companies such as the U.S. Border Patrol, FBI, U.S. Mail, Civil Air Patrol, Swift Air, IFE Cargo and multiple private security companies. 

According to Lt. Col. Kurt Amundson, 133rd Airlift Control Flight commander, the Airmen selected to support the airlift control flight are often chosen for their experience level and dedication. Thus far, Amindson said the Airmen’s performance was nothing short of absolutely phenomenal.