AF Relief Efforts

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SOWT
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Story from the AF website.
The link has a MC-P with it, but the pic is too large to post and I can't resize it at this moment.
FWIW- Relief efforts will be mainly an AF/Navy event, and I suspect the Navy will do most of the lifting.

Best of luck to our Airman and Sailors headed into Japan.
http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/110313-F-YC711-160.jpg
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123246609

3/14/2011 - KADENA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- Approximately 100 Airmen and three MC-130P Combat Shadows from the 353rd Special Operations Group deployed to Yokota Air Base March 12 to support humanitarian relief operations after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean off the coast of northeastern Japan March 11.

The Airmen are prepared to provide their unique expertise in their respective areas to the Japanese government and multiple organizations supporting relief efforts across the affected area, officials said.

"The devastation caused by the earthquake is truly heartbreaking." said Col. Stephen Bissonnette, deputy commander of the 353rd SOG. "As part of coordinated relief efforts, the group will work tirelessly with our Japanese counterparts and other relief organizations to help the people affected by the earthquake recover from this disaster."

The 353rd SOG is able to conduct search and rescue operations, transport emergency response teams, equipment and relief supplies, survey and open airfields and helicopter landing zones with certified air traffic controllers, provide emergent medical care to injured people and assist the Japanese government and other relief agencies with a variety of highly trained support personnel for humanitarian assistance operations.
 
Great stuff thanks for sharing. Great to see those airmen helping to bring relief to those people. A mission to be proud of.
 
This is nothing short of amazing to me. Has anyone seen the "before" pictures of the Sendai Airport? Simply unbelievable. Kudos to all involved in this heroic effort.


Within an hour of landing at the air base, a group of specially trained combat controllers from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron were in the air control tower ready to provide air traffic control support for the airfield. Combat controllers are trained special operations forces and certified air traffic controllers who can establish airfields, while simultaneously conducting air traffic control, command and control and humanitarian assistance in austere locations.

At the same time, another team of combat controllers and Japan Self Defense Force personnel drove to Sendai Airport, which is about 25 miles away from the air base, to conduct surveys and set up their air traffic control equipment. Sendai was heavily damaged by the tsunami and littered with debris. According to the 320th STS squadron commander, the tsunami that hit the airport made this one of the roughest airfields to operate from.
 
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