Army soldiers line up to board a C-130 aircraft.

NEWS

The great symphony of humanitarian relief

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
  • 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  (Editor's note: Sergeant Collier accompanied members of the 302nd Airlift Wing to Muniz Air Base, Puerto Rico, where C-130 Haiti relief missions were launched while assigned to Air Expeditionary Force Coronet Oak.)

A great conductor always has a strong hand in directing his orchestra through the twists and turns of renowned classical music by composers, such as Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. With a simple twist of the hand, the trumpets flare or the trombones squawk. Then, at the conclusion, he raises both hands to direct the grand finale, wowing the audience beyond compare.

Would it surprise you if the conductor I'm envisioning doesn't have a musical background outside of listening to the radio, and that their "trumpets and trombones" aren't musical instruments at all? The symphony I'm talking about is the Air Force's ability to expertly orchestrate a response to a crisis, especially a humanitarian disaster caused by Mother Nature.

Recently, members of the 302nd Airlift Wing flew to Puerto Rico where they stood ready to conduct humanitarian relief efforts staged out of Muniz Air Base near the capital of San Juan. From the U.S. territory, aircrews and supporting Airmen flew 14 to 18-hour missions, crisscrossing the Caribbean bound for Miami or North Carolina. There, they picked up much needed cargo, including bottled water and food, and delivered it to earthquake-stricken Haiti.

Reading the news headlines can give you a small sense of the massive airlift requests thrust upon the countries that rendered aid and support to Haiti, and specifically the Air Force. All this in the hope of saving lives and restoring basic necessities to the Haitian people. But what the headlines rarely show you is the delicate balancing act, or precision in conducting this life-saving production. A production that, for the Air Force, was directed by the commanders at U.S. Southern Command and carried out all the way down to the "one-striper" Airman ushering pallets at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Seeing this incredible "symphony of air power" awed me, much like in 2005 when the Air Force answered the call to support "The Big Easy" and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. From the movement of cargo to flying military and civilian aircraft, to the security forces protecting the airport from needy Haitians rushing the flightline, the Air Force showed the world once again its ability to direct an orchestra of air power unlike any other. The Air Force demonstrated its ability to travel to a place of turmoil and instill order there; certainly not an easy feat.

For those overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those who keep the "home fires burning" back at their respective bases, all can be proud of their fellow "bluesuiters" for flying and maintaining aircraft that continue to airlift humanitarian aid into Haiti. I hope each of us can sit back and soak in how incredible it is to know the Air Force is supporting two wars in Southwest Asia, keeping the peace in places like Korea and can still find the energy and strength to help one of America's neighbors. From my standpoint, it's not the mighty airframes of the C-17 delivering aid or the rugged C-130 landing on what many would just call an open field; it's truly the people, from the Reserve aircrew to the support personnel on the ground, who make each mission happen.

Being on the ground in Haiti and traveling to points of cargo processing at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., and Pope AFB, N.C., you can see the bags under the eyes of Airmen and the fatigue that comes with working constant 12-14 hour days shuttling cargo and directing air traffic. With that said, I believe it's the spirit of the American trait to help others that drives a deep passion, no matter how exhausting it may be, to volunteer for humanitarian missions and bring care and comfort to those in need. I'm proud to be a part of this Air Force and glad to play my particular instrument in this symphony of humanitarian relief.