By Brian Hamlin/ BHamlin@TheReporter.com
Posted: 01/10/2009
Sr. Airman Jessica Gaustav inspects cargo netting Friday at Travis Air Force Base. She and other Travis troops will head to Africa today to aid ongoing humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts in Darfur. (Rick Roach / The Reporter)
Taking part in a multi-national relief effort for war-torn Darfur, two Travis Air Force Base C-17 Globemaster III crews were scheduled to take off for Africa today in an effort to deliver equipment to the devastated region of western Sudan.
The roughly 20 crewmembers from the active duty 60th Air Mobility Wing and the Air Force Reserve's 349th Air Mobility Wing were headed to Rwanda, where they were expected to pick up 75 tons of equipment from the Rwandan military to be flown in to Darfur to support peacekeeping and humanitarian operations there, reported to Maj. Bob Course-Baker during a Friday morning press conference.
"We're basically assisting the African Union and the United Nations in moving their equipment to Darfur," Course-Baker explained.
According to 615th Contingency Response Wing Commander Col. John Lipinski, the cargo includes water trucks, fuel trucks and other "heavy equipment" that can be used to support and improve international peacekeeping efforts in the troubled region.
To get ready for the air transport mission from Rwanda to Darfur, 11 members of the contingency wing traveled to Rwanda on Jan. 1 to coordinate with Rwandan military authorities and prepare the cargo for transport.
Members of the contingency wing are specialists in quick-response operations, including preparation of air base facilities and infrastructure in hostile environments or at the scene of natural disasters.
"We're prepared to do this anytime, anywhere," said Lipinski. "We're ready to deploy within 12 hours to anywhere in the world."
A key to the operation is the big C-17 Globemaster III jet cargo plane, known for its versatility and ability to land on short runways and even on dirt landing strips.
"This plane is pretty phenomenal," said Maj. Mendez Rivera, a 301st Airlift Squadron pilot on the Darfur mission. "It can land on 3,500 feet of runway and it's built to take it."
The flight to Africa takes about 20 hours and crews expect to be deployed on the mission for about two weeks.
"We're going to stay until it's done," said Rivera, a reservist and native of Fairfield who, in civilian life, flies for American Airlines.
