FEATURE: CRW Airmen 'Proud to help Pakistanis as they help themselves.'

Published Sept. 10, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Kevin Beavers
621st Contingency Response Wing

CHAKLALA AIR FORCE BASE, Pakistan -- The show time is early morning, but no one looks tired because they didn't sleep the night before. We've just been notified that we are deploying to Pakistan to assist with flood relief operations. Morale is high. People are joking and helping load all of our luggage and equipment onto pallets. When loading is complete, we are bused over to the Passenger Terminal where we will wait for several hours to board our plane.

As we wait, wing leadership comes by to wish everyone well and makes sure no one expects any problems at home while they are gone. We board the plane, a spacious C-17 Globemaster III, some four hours later and settle in for the long flight to Germany. Once the plane reaches cruising altitude, Airmen break out air mattresses and sleeping bags to sprawl out on the floor of the plane. The younger or newer Airmen to the unit take note.

When we land in Germany, we are shuttled to billeting and enjoy what might be our last "American" meal for a while. Some sit in the lounge and play a few games of dominoes while others retire to their rooms to sleep or figure out how to make international calls home on the calling cards we were given in the processing line. Before we leave Germany, we have the opportunity to visit the mall across the street from the Terminal to pick up any forgotten items.

The flight to Pakistan gives us a view of its huge deserts and some of the muddy, flooded regions. As the C-17 starts its decent, the sleeping bags get packed up, and the work gloves come out. The plane touches down and the back of the plane opens to reveal a sneak peak of our new, temporary home. As soon as we land and unload, the aerial porters start pushing pallets while everyone else starts building tents, setting up generators, radios and checking ramp space. The first day is the toughest. When everything is done that needs be done, we are brought to our quarters: three to a room, complete with a shower (no curtain, just the floor) and the pleasant surprise of a television with several English channels. We are guests of the Pakistani Air Force at dinner and find the food very good - even if a bit spicy for some.

The next day, our work really begins. The porters are busy again organizing the cargo yard into some semblance of order. Planes from many countries, loaded with humanitarian goods, are down-loaded. C-130 Hercules and C-17s from the United States are uploaded with relief supplies and sent to forward distribution points. The Pakistanis are responsible for building the pallets of received goods and manifesting where it goes. We net the cargo and upload it.

It is clear that this is their operation and we are there to support them. Everyone is getting past that "I don't know how I feel about you'" feeling. The Pakistanis are curious about our culture and communicate whatever they can in various degrees of broken English. They often carry a serious, even stoic look about them until you wave at them. Then they return a smile and offer their hand. As of Sept. 1, four days after we touched down, we had uploaded or downloaded 305 tons of cargo. Three days later, we broke the 2 million pound mark.

While our primary mission is to receive the Army helicopters that will distribute the aid, we are doing much more. Everyone comes in with a favor to ask, and it is a rare occasion that they get turned down. We are here to help make things happen, not to make excuses. The entire team comprised of various career fields and groups in the CRW, chips in. The medic and vehicle mechanic help offload a NATO plane. An aerial porter helps replace the starter on a 10K forklift. An aircraft maintenance Airman scales a tower to relocate a radio antenna so that Ramp Controller has more reliable radio communication with our operations center. Our Security Forces Major, upon finding that our area is very secure, helps net pallets and jokes about getting an honorary aerial porter functional badge. Everyone is pitching in everywhere.

The food is good. A Pakistani-American family who lived in New York and Chicago brings in two hot meals a day: breakfast and dinner. We have MREs for lunch. The biggest threats we have here are dehydration and malaria. We counteract threat of dehydration by looking after each other and malaria by taking our daily medication. Our medic from the 87th Medical Group takes care of our scrapes and cuts, even giving stitches and IV fluids to other U.S. forces.

Just as we started the mission, our morale remains high and we are proud to help these people as they help themselves. The Pakistanis are thankful for our help and we have formed some good friendships. We look forward to a successful mission completion and getting back home to McGuire and our loved ones.

(Sergeant Beavers is a vehicle maintenance specialist assigned to the 818th Global Mobility Readiness Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ.)