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Storm proves JB MDL's resolve

  • Published
  • By Airman Ryan Throneberry
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst weathered a historic storm throughout the evening of Aug. 27 and into the early morning hours of Aug. 28.

The base's array of military servicemembers worked together putting in extra duty hours several days in advance to ensure the installation was ready for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

"My hat's off to everyone involved," said Col. Dale Anderson, 305th Air Mobility Wing vice commander, in a briefing Tuesday. "I'm truly impressed with everyone up and down the chain of command. We know better now what level of excellence we are capable of."
Anderson said he was pleased everyone pulled their weight in a collective effort, regardless of the task, which ensured everything ran smoothly.

"This was some of the best teamwork I've ever seen," said Tech Sgt. Hazeley Glenn, 305th Aerial Port Squadron. "The whole base came together to make everything work."

The entire flightline needed to be evacuated because Hurricane Irene was racing up the East Coast toward the base. All 27 of the 305th AMW aircraft were successfully evacuated in less than 24 hours.

"Our maintenance and flight crews deserve a special round of praise for the work they did to get those planes off the runway and every piece of equipment in the hangars," said Anderson. "They moved inspections and maintenance dates around to ensure our assets were not in harm's way."

The 305th aircraft were not the only aircraft on the flightline that needed to be positioned within hangars or evacuated. The Marine Aircraft Group 49 houses several helicopters ranging from heavys to attack, which needed to be housed within hangars or sent to military bases further inland. The Navy also had some cargo planes which needed to be positioned or evacuated as well. The 305th Air Traffic Control tower had to plan and execute the evacuation of all the aircraft and helicopters.

"Air Traffic Control and Airfield Management provide 24/7 support to all the aircraft and vehicles on McGuire Field; so the task of evacuating all the aircraft simply required the expert skills that we provide on a daily basis," said Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Sloan, 305th Operations Support Squadron tower chief controller. The hard work and sacrifice of the Airmen in the tower, Radar Approach Control Airfield management and the Airmen on the flightline made the process safe, easy and efficient; almost routine. We evacuated not only the Air Force aircraft, but the Army, Marines and Navy assets as well."

Staff Sgt. Timothy Keegan, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772 operations chief, said they were able to work together as a team to plan and accomplish the mission while still allowing the Marines to take care of their families.

Servicemembers across the joint base were working to secure the personnel, facilities and equipment while also preparing to provide relief to the surrounding community.
Steve Robertson, Chief of Emergency Management, said providing aid to the communities around JB MDL was a big priority for his office. Therefore, the EM team stood up an Instant Support Base with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Lakehurst.

"We were thrilled to be able to facilitate FEMA on our base," said Robertson. "Having them here adds another level of support for the community members."

Many areas lost power as the storm tore through the installation, especially on the Dix side. One of the facilities to lose power was the Child Development Center. This left many parents worrying about who would be able to care for their children. The McGuire CDC 2 opened its doors to these parents in need by taking more than 40 children into their facility.

"That's the great thing about being part of a joint base," said Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Welsh, Headquarters, headquarters company mobilize and demobilize supervisor. "I was concerned I might have to take a leave day if there wasn't a place for my daughter. Luckily, the CDC on McGuire was good enough to help us out."

Erica Rowland, a CDC administrative assistant and spouse of a servicemember, said she was pleased she could help make the parents happy and make sure they were able to keep the mission moving.

"I understand caring for these children is a big priority," she said.

Power outages were not the only damage the base sustained from the hurricane. The storm sent gusting winds more than 70 miles per hour across the base, uprooting full grown trees and scattering small debris. Roads flooded as lakes and rivers quickly became an issue when eight inches of rain was dropped on the base within a short period of time. Hurricane Irene hit the joint base and the state of New Jersey late Saturday evening, but the base had been preparing for the storm several days prior. All units on JB MDL worked together to ensure equipment and military assets were properly secured and aircraft were at their destination well before the hurricane arrived.
"I was proud to see all the services on base work as one to do what was needed these past few days, both before and after this hurricane," said Col. John Wood, JB MDL commander. "This is what being part of a joint base is all about."