Airmen, Soldiers provide hurricane support

  • Published
  • By Ruby Zarzyczny
  • 939th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Ore. (AFPN) --  Air Force reservists with the 939th Air Refueling Wing here are providing around-the-clock support to airlift the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Brigade deploying to the area affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Since Sept. 2, the 939th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 83rd Aerial Port Squadron have loaded and fueled more than 20 Air National Guard C-5 Galaxy and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft nationwide as of Sept. 7.

“This is the largest airflow in any given day that either I or the base operations here has ever seen anywhere,” said Maj. David Jeske, 939th LRS commander. “And this is the largest troop movement ever to come out of the Portland Air National Guard base.”

The 41st Brigade is deploying 2,000 troops to a parish just north of New Orleans, and 1,700 Soldiers and their equipment are being airlifted here.

With 20 Airmen and all available hands working together, it is hard to tell who is from the 939th LRS and who is from the 83rd APS as they work to get the equipment and troops loaded on to the aircraft.

The Airmen are conducting joint inspections of Army vehicles, equipment and pallets, Major Jeske said. This requires reservists to weigh the cargo, ensure hazardous materials are properly marked and compatible, and the cargo is airworthy. Then they make a load plan for the cargo by calculating all of the data collected and mapping out how the cargo will be loaded onto the aircraft.

After the joint inspection and load planning has been done, the cargo must be secured and moved to the flightline.

While the cargo is being processed, they are also preparing hundreds of troops to deploy and then move them to the aircraft.

Officials do not know how much longer it will be before the 41st Brigade is airlifted, Major Jeske said. But they will continue providing airlift support until the mission is done.