Phoenix Ravens secure aircraft supporting Operation Unified Response

Published Jan. 28, 2010
By Master Sgt. Sean P. Houlihan
628th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) -- When Tech. Sgt. Toma Ferguson received a phone call Jan. 15 putting him on alert for a flight to support Operation Unified Response, he was excited about being able to provide relief and support to the millions of Haitians impacted by the earthquake.

Since leaving Jan. 16 on his first flight, the Phoenix Raven assigned to the 628th Security Forces Squadron here has made two other trips on Jan. 18 and 20.

"The impact we have by bringing back the evacuees will have lifelong meaning to them," said Sergeant Ferguson a native of Cross, S.C. "You can see the suffering in their eyes and the despair in the kids as they get on the plane, but it's amazing they still laugh and smile as kids will always do."

Sergeant Ferguson and the other 23 Ravens at Charleston Air Force Base are part of a select group of specially trained Air Force security forces volunteers who have reached and maintained high standards during their military careers and are dedicated to providing top-notch security for Air Mobility Command assets and en route aircraft around the world.

In order to maintain the security of AMC assets, Ravens must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sergeant Ferguson said he had ample time to prepare for his trips as Ravens follow the same alert and crew rest policies as aircrew members.

Some Ravens have literally come back from one mission and within two hours are on a C-17 Globemaster III flying back to Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport in Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince, said Tech. Sgt. James Alessandrini, the NCO in charge of the Phoenix Raven program at Charleston AFB.

"The Raven operations tempo for providing security for transient aircraft going in to Port-au-Prince is up," he said. "With only six Raven's at home station when Operation Unified Response began, they were flying back to back until we gain other Ravens."

During the first 11 days of Operation Unified Response, Charleston AFB Ravens flew 76 out of the more than 250 AMC missions into Haiti. For the year of 2009, Charleston AFB Ravens flew 65 missions supporting high-priority missions for both the Department of Defense and Department of State.

There are currently 20 teams at Charleston AFB, which includes augmentation from Airmen on flight duty at the squadron along with Ravens from across the command, said Sergeant Alessandrini, a native of Chicago.

"Without the help from the security force's Airmen from the flights, we couldn't support the missions going into Haiti," Sergeant Alessandrini said. "When AMC made the decision to have flight members augment Ravens, they were brought over to the Raven training facility where they were given 'just in time training.'"

Since the flight Airmen have basic law enforcement and security training as security forces members, the training is more on specific items to look for when evacuees are being transported back to the states, along with ensuring the safety and security of the pilots on the flight deck, Sergeant Alessandrini said.

The Raven program was started in the late 1990s by then-AMC commander, Gen. Walter Cross, to better protect military aircraft in an expeditionary environment. It was implemented under the direction of Col. Lawrence Lane, former AMC security forces director.

Security forces Airmen who become Ravens have been through a screening process to include reviewing enlisted performance reports, standardization and evaluation reports, a physical fitness test and a 45-day apprentice course before going to the official Phoenix Raven school.

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