Cooperation yields training for Airmen, help for those in need

Published Feb. 26, 2015
By Eric M. White
910th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- More than 38 thousand pounds of medical supplies and equipment took off from here, bound for Honduras aboard a KC-10 aircraft Feb. 25, 2015. Airmen from the 76th Aerial Port Squadron here, known as the Port Dawgs, received shipments of the humanitarian cargo, organized it, weighed it and packed it onto 14 pallets.

Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Massie, superintendent of 76APS, said there is high value in this type of mission.

"It was a great opportunity for not only aerial port guys to get some hands-on training we don't normally see," said Massie, "but also our contractors, guys that could be called on to augment if we have a wing-wide deployment."

APS members here primarily train on the C-130H Hercules, the 910th Airlift Wing's primary aircraft. Humanitarian airlift missions allow them to train locally on several other airframes with which they may need familiarization while deployed, including the KC-10 Extender, C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III.

Shipping the cargo to Honduras took the cooperation of several organizations.
MedWish International, a non-profit organization based in Cleveland, Ohio, purchased a Bobcat utility vehicle while the Cleveland Clinic and other local healthcare organizations donated the medical supplies and equipment. According to their website, MedWish International's goal is to save lives and the environment by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid in developing countries.

Massie said approximately 50 Airmen from APS were involved in the mission along with eight to ten base contractors and personnel from the 910th Maintenance Group, base operations and airfield management.

"People from several areas have to be there for it to be successful," said Massie.
The humanitarian airlift was shipped via the Denton Program.

According to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Denton Program allows private U.S. citizens and organizations to use space on military aircraft to transport humanitarian goods such as clothing, food, medical and educational supplies, and agricultural equipment and vehicles, to countries in need. The program is jointly administered by USAID, the Department of State (DoS) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

The 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, sent a KC-10 Extender tanker and cargo aircraft to pick up the humanitarian airlift after a weather delay postponed the mission last Thursday, Feb. 19.