CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The first humanitarian mission carrying food and water supplied by Charleston AFB's aerial port squadron launched at approximately 6:30 a.m. Jan. 18 bound for Haiti.
Charleston was recently selected as the main aerial port artery for pumping life-saving rations into the crippled nation, making the first launch a glimpse of many to come.
Putting good use to the newly formed supply chain, mobility aircraft from throughout the U.S. are expected to flow through Charleston AFB, taking on massive cargo loads prepared by the 437th Aerial Port Squadron.
Selection as the main aerial port for food and water came to the right team of Airmen, said Tech. Sgt. Sean Stottlemyre, 437 APS shift supervisor. He said the day-in and day-out rigors of the aerial porting profession at Charleston AFB keeps his Airmen up to speed, and that taking on additional work will pose no problem.
According to one Airman, overcoming obstacles is what being a "Port Dawg" is all about.
"Of course we can handle it, that's what we do," said Senior Airman Anel Dominique. "We eat, sleep and breathe cargo."
Coincidently, Airman Dominique's hunger for aerial port action will end up feeding earthquake victims who may have otherwise starved.
For the inaugural mission, the 437 APS was tasked to load nine pallets of bottled water and seven pallets of Meals-Ready-to-Eat inside a McChord AFB C-17. Based out of Washington state, the aircraft departed at approximately 8 p.m. PST Jan. 17, flew to Charleston through four time zones and arrived at approximately 4:00 a.m. EST. Thirty minutes later, Charleston aerial porters arrived at the aircraft to do what they do best.
In all, the load weighed approximately 116,000 pounds, with some pallets weighing more than 9,000 pounds. By the end of the load, the C-17 was completely filled, with only a few seats remaining for a handful of passengers. The cargo load took the team of eight air transportation specialists under 38 minutes to complete, with an initial goal of one hour.
As for the McChord AFB aircrew, the humanitarian aid mission to Haiti was a first, and with the relief effort just getting underway, it will likely not be the last, they said.
"It's kind of scary I guess, seeing all the people injured down there [on the news]," said Senior Airman Anthony Jimenez, 10th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "We do this a lot. We do a lot of missions where we go out and help people, but it's good to know what we're actually helping and what we're doing it for and why."