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    83rd Civil Support Team gets lift from 120th Airlift Wing

    HELENA, GREAT FALLS, MT, UNITED STATES

    08.13.2015

    Story by Tech. Sgt. Michael Touchette 

    120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

    HELENA, Mont. — Airmen and soldiers from the 83rd Civil Support Team successfully deployed to multiple locations around Montana in C-130H Hercules cargo planes flown by the 120th Airlift Wing of the Montana Air National Guard Aug. 11-12, 2015.

    The transport of the 83rd CST was part of a larger exercise by the 120th AW to test its capabilities utilizing its new aircraft in its new mission.

    “We work very well with the 120th,” said Tech. Sgt. Beau Snellman, a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) NCO with the 83rd CST. “We had five different crews over several days and they were all great.”

    The training started in Helena, where the unit loaded several different types of vehicles and equipment aboard a C-130 cargo plane.

    “We worked with the crew chiefs and loadmasters to weigh and measure the vehicles,” said Snellman. “The more we work together the quicker it gets and the faster we can respond.”

    The aircraft flew the 83rd CST to multiple cities around the state, where the unit’s vehicles were offloaded then reloaded. During their stop at the Great Falls International Airport, the 83rd CST received assistance from the 120th AW’s small air terminal.

    “We off-loaded a Polaris and an F-150 truck from the C-130,” said Airman 1st Class Brandi Clark, an air transportation apprentice. “I didn’t expect to see that rolling off the plane. It was really cool.”

    One of the benefits of the relationship between the 120th AW and the 83rd CST is the speed at which the civil support team can get to needed locations. The time savings in flying versus driving is significant when the unit must travel across the state.

    “To get to some places in eastern Montana it could be a seven to eight hour drive, but in a C-130 we could get there in an hour and a half,” said Snellman.

    The Civil Support Team provides unique skills, knowledge and equipment to assist the governor in preparing for and responding to a CBRN situation, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for rapid deployment for response operations.

    “We are in a supportive role to our civilian counterparts,” said Snellman. “If it’s a terrorist threat we are more involved.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.13.2015
    Date Posted: 08.14.2015 13:41
    Story ID: 173229
    Location: HELENA, GREAT FALLS, MT, US

    Web Views: 93
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN