620th AES members deliver hope

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Parie
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFPN) --  Airmen with the 620th Air Expeditionary Squadron have been delivering hope in the form of food, water and baby supplies to people affected by Hurricane Katrina since Sept. 5.

“Before I came down here, I had seen the photos and videos on television,” said Capt. Jake Brittingham, 620th AES pilot deployed from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. “It just does not compare. Once you are on the ground here, you can feel the emotion in these people and the effect the hurricane has had on them."

On the captain’s first flight to the Gulf area, one of his team’s stops was at a school the Red Cross used as an evacuation center.

“While we were dropping off supplies, a lady came up and gave me a stack of medical prescriptions 5 inches thick,” Captain Brittingham said. “Once we landed at the Gulfport Airport, I was able to give those to a flight doctor on the ground and get them filled for those people.”

When 620th AES Airmen deliver supplies, they are providing hope to those left with nearly nothing.

“One of my most memorable supply drops was at a small high school,” said Tech. Sgt. Chad Hagan, 620th AES flight engineer deployed from Minot AFB, N.D. “When we showed up, smiles broke out across everyone’s faces, and we were able to give them the supplies they needed. Duty days are hitting 13 hours, but the sense of satisfaction in helping these people is definitely worth it.”

Shelters have been set up throughout the Gulf Coast area, and helicopter crews continue to work long hours to get supplies where they are needed.

First Lt. Hank Luke, a 620th AES pilot deployed from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., had a similarly touching experience.

During a drop at a church that had been converted into a shelter, a woman handed him a roll of notebook papers. He unrolled the stack to reveal a collection of drawings the children there had made in thanks for what the squadron's Airmen were doing to help.

“Things like that really show me the deep effect we are having on these people’s lives,” Lieutenant Luke said. “These experiences will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

The 620th AES here comprises Air Force Space Command members from Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; Vandenberg AFB, Calif.; Minot AFB, N.D.; Peterson AFB, Colo.; and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service)