621st Contingency Response Wing Airmen to return from Haiti Published Feb. 19, 2010 By Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs Office JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing will be welcomed home 10 a.m. Saturday after supporting humanitarian relief operations in Haiti. The group of 120 Airmen, based in New Jersey, were responsible for opening and operating the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-Au-Prince. Additionally, the wing partnered with 50 Soldiers from the 688th Rapid Port Opening Element to create the Joint Task Force-Port Opening. The JTF-PO transported the relief supplies and equipment off the airfield and to a forward node where distribution agencies picked up the supplies for dissemination to the people of Haiti. Over the 35-day deployment, the CRW offloaded more than 30 million pounds of relief supplies and equipment while facilitating the transport of 15,000 American citizens. "This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," said Col. Patrick Hollrah, commander of the JTF-PO in Haiti. "The 120 Airmen and 50 Soldiers I had the pleasure of serving with here were the difference between supplies sitting at the airport and supplies flowing out to the people who need them. They made a visible impact on this operation and they can go home proud of what they were able to accomplish." The 621st Contingency Response Wing is stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. The highly-specialized team rapidly deploys personnel to quickly open airfields to establish, expand, sustain and coordinate air mobility for operations ranging from wartime taskings to disaster relief. Note: For more information on their return, contact JB MDL Public Affairs at (609) 754-2104.