Airmen on Pakistan relief duty returning home Published Dec. 9, 2005 By 1st Lt. Erick Saks 24th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFPN) -- After more than two months of helping with Pakistan earthquake relief operations, the 24th Air Expeditionary Group is ending its operations at Chaklala Air Base. The group is returning home to McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., to become the 818th Contingency Response Group again. Group members will rotate out of Pakistan next week. The arrived right after October's magnitude 7.6 earthquake that may have killed more than 73,000 people. The reconstitution process has already started. Its design is to make sure the unit is ready to deploy again when called, said Maj. Allen Schwartz, the unit’s operations officer. "In basic terms, we're cleaning, we're inventorying and we're replenishing," Major Schwartz said. "We look at everything we brought to the field, evaluate it and prepare it for the next alert." One of the most time-consuming functions is preparing the tents. "We have to break them down, find a location for us to set them back up and get a water supply to wash them," Major Schwartz said. "It generally takes a six- or seven-man team to clean each tent." The group normally cleans tents after it returns home, he said. "Usually, you pack the tents up, place them in a container and clean them when you get home," he said. "We're trying to get as much done as possible now so we have less to do when we get home. “We want our people to be able to spend more time with their families when they get home," the major said. Cleaning the tents in Pakistan has had its challenges, said Tech. Sgt. Louis Ruiz, an aerospace ground equipment specialist. "It's been a difficult process here because we have limited resources," Sergeant Ruiz said. "For one, we don't have a good supply of water. They have a wash rack here, but normally a wash rack has plumbing and a constant water supply.” The sergeant said, “Here, they only have a 250-gallon container for water, which they have to keep refilling. Also, the equipment we have right now doesn't have good water pressure. But, once our pressure washer arrives, we should be good to go." Also included in the redeployment process is inventorying equipment and materials the unit brought to the field and determining how to replace it. "We go through all of the shipping containers," the major said. "We make sure everything is in its place, including all of the computers, radios and other equipment. We make sure we have a consolidated list of everything that needs to be re-supplied." He said the group provides a list to the Global Deployment Readiness Center so it can replace supplies and equipment. While the unit is getting a jump on the reconstitution in Pakistan, much of the work will still be done at McGuire, Major Schwartz said. "Reconstituting much of the equipment, like the communications equipment, all of the trailers, the AGE equipment and the vehicles, will have to be done when we get home," he said. "Filling out our travel vouchers, completing the post-deployment medical questionnaires and completing our individual checklists is also included in the reconstitution we'll complete when we get home." Major Schwartz said he's noticed a change in the mood of the group members since the reconstitution process began. "When we tear down tents, morale will generally rise because everyone knows we're coming to a close," Major Schwartz said. "We're actually ahead of schedule right now.” The major said, “I think everyone's anxious to get home. They can see the finish line from here, and they're ready to be there."