Support mission turns to rescue ops for 46th Test Wing crew

Published Oct. 19, 2005
By Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen
Air Armament Center Public Affairs

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFMCNS) -- While most people watched and wished they could help their fellow Americans struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a few members of the 46th Test Wing were doing just that.

As owners of a UH-1 Huey helicopter, they knew their skills and airpower would be a boost to anyone in the Gulf Coast region in need. On Aug. 31, they got their wish and were tasked by the White House to airlift senior staff members in and out of the area as they prepared for the President’s visit Sept. 2.

So in the early hours of Sept. 1, while the true extent of the damage to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama was still unfolding, four UH-1 Huey aircrew members and six maintenance personnel along with their light-lift utility helicopter deployed to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

Upon arrival to the hurricane ravaged base, the crew did exactly as they were ordered to do. They provided airlift support to government officials such as senators, congressmen, governors and presidential aides as expected.

And after their two-day tasking was complete, they were released by the White House and could return to Eglin. However, that just wasn’t going to be enough for this crew.

“After witnessing the devastation that occurred in New Orleans, I could not in good faith return to Eglin without trying to help,” said Maj. Alex Brid, UH-1 Huey pilot and mission commander from the 46th Operations Group. “I was able to talk to the individuals in the 1st Air Force and convince them to add us into the relief effort in Joint Task Force Katrina.”

JTF Katrina was put together by the Department of Defense to be their focal point for support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s relief efforts along the Gulf Coast.

But what was once an airlift support mission for the deployed crew quickly became a humanitarian relief effort when it became apparent that many did not heed the warning to evacuate the Big Easy, or simply could not.

So for the next four days the crew flew 33 sorties and more than 20 hours of rescue missions. They picked up entire families, hospital patients, doctors and even animals.

“As long as the rescue mission in New Orleans was needed, our crew flew into the area, searched for survivors and extracted them,” Major Brid said.

While providing airlift support to high ranking government officials is an important task, it simply does not compare to performing rescue missions. This was a job the crew longed for and was trained to do.

“I’m thankful that we were able to be there and use our resources to make a difference,” said Senior Master Sgt. Duane Best, a flight engineer on the deployment from the 40th Flight Test Squadron.

And while the aircrew helped victims throughout the New Orleans area, the maintenance crew helped people around Keesler with recovery efforts.

“Our folks were able to help local residents … by handing out (Meals Ready to Eat) and water and by cutting down and removing over seven tons of trees,” said Capt. Lawrence Buerger, 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who was the maintenance officer for the deployment. “Everywhere we went; the local residents would shake our hands, or hug us and thank us for our service.”

As the city slowly became barren like an Old West town, the aircrew paused for some much needed maintenance on the Huey and took the opportunity to bring in some other members of the wing who wanted to be part of this historic mission.

“I’ve been in the Air Force for over 20 years and have never done this type of operation,” said Lt. Col. Ken Scritchfield, 46th Range Squadron commander, who arrived Sept. 9 to fly the helicopter along with two other maintenance troops. “It’s a great thing to actually be able to apply the skills given to us by the Air Force for something as monumental as this.”

With maintenance complete, the aircrew continued on their original mission of providing airlift support while also transferring medical personnel from the convention center to the airport.

“Once the rescue mission faded, we helped out the local community with transporting supplies,” Major Brid said. “We then went full circle and returned to VIP support until the end of our deployment.”

As the displaced citizens of New Orleans were finally being transferred to Houston and beyond, the crew’s mission slowly came to a close. From Sept. 1 through 19 they flew 17 days, performed 73 total sorties and logged more than 50 hours in the air. They performed 23 saves, 16 medical assists and delivered more than 5,000 pounds worth of food, water and baby supplies.

“By far, the most rewarding experience was when the entire crew worked together as a solid team to accomplish the mission,” Major Brid said.

“Our maintenance remained very flexible to the ever changing missions and was there supporting us 110 percent,” Sergeant Best said. “If it were not for our maintenance working long days and keeping our aircraft in such good condition many of our missions would’ve not been possible.”

As the city of New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast are finally starting to make some headway on the road to recovery, those who got the opportunity to help were glad they had that chance.

“In actuality, I had been considering separating recently, and this experience cemented my desire to continue my career in the Air Force,” Captain Buerger said. “It was great to make a real difference … and this was a wonderful reminder of what a noble profession military service is.”