LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Within 12 hours notice, two Northeast Tanker Task Force KC-10s were wheels up at Joint Base MacGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and headed for the Langley runway Jan. 22 to escort and refuel cargo planes headed for Haiti soil.
Cross-command communication between Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command led to the distribution of port communication equipment, medical supplies and personnel to Haiti as well as the transportation of evacuees out of the earth-shaken nation.
"AMC and ACC, we don't speak the same language, but at the end of the day, everything came together," said Senior Master Sgt. Chris Hofrichter, quality assurance superintendent for the 514th and 305th Maintenance Groups, JBM-D-L. "I can go on and on about the support at Langley. They helped us get in here and get set up. I feel like they rolled out the red carpet for us to get this thing done."
As an on-demand AMC unit within the 78th Refueling Wing, approximately 10 TTF personnel (two crew chiefs, four pilots, two engineers and two boomers) flew to Langley to escort and refuel C-17 Globemaster IIIs from McChord AFB, Wash. Because of the large number of aircraft flying in and out of Haiti, the fuel is scarce; for this reason, the KC-10 pilots fly with the cargo planes to Haiti and refuel them on their way back home, said Maj. Brian Alexander, NTTF KC-10 pilot.
"It's more than just what's going on, on the ground down there," Sergeant Hofrichter said. "We still have to get people out of there. Planes need gas and if they have evacuees on board, where are they going to land - in the water?"
The 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade Soldiers from U.S. Army Fort Eustis, Va., utilized the fuel source as a means to get their boots on the ground and communication tools in the right hands.
As the eyes and ears of supply distribution, the 7th Sust Bde Support Plans Office traveled to Haiti to evaluate port management, port opening and watercraft from military and humanitarian sources.
"We have the expertise to look at the distribution from the big supply area out to the distribution points on the ground," said British Army Maj. Dominic Gosling, 7th Sust Bde embed. "We have the ability to help the people of Haiti, and it's great to get on the ground and do some good."
In addition, the 10th Trans BN was able to send humvees, cots and a harbor master unit, which is comprised of radar, sin gars and tactical equipment to communicate with incoming vessels, said U.S. Army Sgt. Stephanie York, 10th Trans BN.
As the services integrated resources and worked around the clock to ensure supply distribution, refueling and mission completion, all will agree the cause is worth the sacrifices made.
"If we have to work 12 hours or 14, we're going to do it," said Tech. Sgt. John Stewart, KC-10 maintainer. "I don't think anyone has a problem mission a little sleep or a lunch here and there. (We) just focus on the mission at hand."