Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Paul Gorman | Air transportation specialists with the Air National Guard's 133rd Airlift Wing in...... read more read more
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ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands - Air National Guard units from three U.S. states combined assets, manpower and expertise to provide critical control of military airlift to the heavily battered island of St. Thomas in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Airman from the 133rd Airlift Wing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 146th Airlift Wing in Camarillo, California and 161st Air Refueling Wing in Phoenix, Arizona demonstrated the real world capability of the Airlift Control Flight (ALCF) beginning Sept. 9, as they began to manage 24 hour flight operations at the Cyril E. King International Airport.
“Stepping off the airplane we met a FEMA logistics representative who said that he was quickly becoming overwhelmed, was glad we were here and that the airfield was ours,” said Lt. Col Jared Miller, 146th Airlift Control Flight operations officer. “ He provided us with some real estate, we set up our [command and control] trailer, our billeting, and we went to work.”
An ACLF, soon to be recognized as a Contingency Response Flight, is a compact force, capable of short notice worldwide deployment to any airfield, to set up mobile command and control of contingency, humanitarian, or exercise missions.
Airmen selected to staff or support the function are trained in such specialties as logistics, air transportation, operations, communications, weather, security and equipment maintenance.
Like many ACLF members, air transportation specialist Tech. Sgt. Michael Gunderson, is a traditional Guardsmen, and was required to leave his civilian employment to support the recovery efforts in St. Thomas. As the manager of a youth sports program, the timing and short notice were difficult to accommodate, but worth the sacrifice.
“This is why we do what we do,” Gunderson said. “It’s an opportunity to help people who need help, and I think it’s why most of us serve in the National Guard.”
Since their arrival the Airmen supporting the ACLF have been instrumental in the movement of 440 Department of Defense personnel and 712 short tons of military cargo as well as thousands of tons of cargo arriving via contract air carriers.
In addition to servicing aircraft from every U.S. service branch, they tended to other government entities and commercial companies such as the U.S. Border Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S.Mail, Civil Air Patrol, Swift Air, IFE Cargo and multiple private security companies.
According to Lt. Col. Kurt Amundson, 133rd Airlift Control Flight commander, the Airmen selected to support the ALCF are often chosen for their experience level and dedication. When asked how the Airman deployed to St. Thomas had performed thus far his answer was immediate.
“Nothing short of absolutely phenomenal” Amundson said.
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2017 11:02 |
| Story ID: | 248675 |
| Location: | ST. THOMAS, VI |
| Web Views: | 252 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, National Guard Airmen provide critical contingency response, by SMSgt Paul Gorman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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