Air Force Reservists Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Nov. 27, 2017 — What can 15 airmen and a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft do on a Denton Program mission? A lot, if they're from the Air Force Reserve Command's 514th Air Mobility Wing.

On Nov. 18, four pilots and a loadmaster with the 732nd Airlift Squadron, a loadmaster and two crew chiefs with the 514th, three Phoenix Raven Team members, and four 514th Security Forces airmen delivered 15 pallets of food, weighing 76,410 pounds, to Haiti."It's a high priority to get food down there," said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Shawn R. Reynolds, a C-17 loadmaster with the 514th Air Mobility Wing. "Just the sheer volume of food we moved was impressive."The humanitarian mission, accomplished through the Denton Program, delivered fortified rice and soy protein and barley grass juice powder to Haiti. This was Reynolds' fifth Denton mission."That food will be used for a nutrition program for orphans and school children," said Jean Lubin St. Marc, executive director of Mission of Hope. "We appreciate the U.S. military that bring Denton cargo to us."Deliveries Began after 2010 EarthquakeSince a 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed more than 100,000 people, the 514th has delivered supplies and equipment through the Denton Program to Haiti. The program was an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1987, and it is named in honor of U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton, a former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war."Delivering relief supplies is one of the more rewarding missions we do," said Air force Lt. Col. Samuel F. Irvin, a C-17 pilot and the commander of the 732nd Airlift Squadron.Irvin has been on more than a dozen Denton missions during the past 10 years.The program is jointly administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the State Department and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. It enables Americans and U.S. based nongovernmental organizations to use available space on military cargo aircraft to transport humanitarian goods -- agricultural equipment, clothing, educational supplies, food, medical supplies and vehicles -- to countries in need."This is the first time it has been strictly food," said Air Force Maj. Lee C. Schmeer, a 732nd Airlift Squadron C-17 pilot. "Usually it has been a mixed bag -- tractors, forklifts, trailers, and flatbed trucks, along with food."To give some perspective on how much cargo a Globemaster can handle, it can carry an M1A2 Abrams tank, which weighs 130,000 pounds, and still have room for 40,000 pounds more cargo.Cargo HubThe crew received the cargo at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina, which is the cargo hub for the Denton Program. In 2016, Joint Base Charleston supported 85 missions to 10 countries delivering 609 pallets of cargo and 22 vehicles."We're in a position to help and we're happy to help," Schmeer said.While the Denton Program helps countries and people in need, it also serves military personnel. Aircrews that need to get qualified or have their qualifications updated volunteer for a Denton mission, and additional training will be scheduled during the mission."We schedule training at the bases we visit for our aircrews," Irvin said.During this mission, which began Nov. 16 and ended Nov. 19, the 514th Security Forces Squadron's combat arms training and maintenance team trained four C-17 pilots and two loadmasters at the pistol range at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida."By using our training time, it's a win-win for everyone," Reynolds said.Delivering the supplies was a team effort. In this case, the security forces airmen pitched in, helping to unload cargo."Moving Denton cargo is satisfying for me," Reynolds said. "We are moving something that matters."By: Air Force Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen 514th Air Mobility Wing for the US Department of Defense | November 27, 2017

Dubai sends Dh712,500 emergency airlift to Haiti

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has provided, upon request from the United Nations World Food Programme and UNHRD partners, the B747-400 aircraft which flew out of Dubai International Airport at 4:30 am, September 7, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti airport. The plane is expected to land in Haiti tomorrow, the 8th of September 2017, at 8:00 pm UAE time.The Dubai Air Wings aircraft to Haiti carried more than 90 metric tonnes of key relief items, valued at more than $194,000 (Dh712,500), made available by the International Humanitarian City members.The air cargo transporting aid on behalf of the World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, and CARE came in response to the forecast of a monster storm, Hurricane Irma, as it bears down South America, and is expected to hit the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Cuba in the coming days.Upon hearing about Irma, believed to be one of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded, a quick mobilization was crucial to be able to reach the destination before any potential closure of airports. It was made possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of IHC and its members, under the chairmanship of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.HRH Princess Haya hailed the emergency airlift as a symbol of the UAE commitment to humanitarian assistance. "This rapid response is the fruit of an unprecedented cooperation and a proof of our robust support to vulnerable populations all over the world," she said.Among the relief and survival items, on board are food and non-food supplies: 2000 tarpaulins, enough high-energy biscuits to feed 47100 people over 3 days, mobile storage units, lighting equipment, water purification kits, and pool testers.This is the fifth relief plane sent in 2017 by IHC with the support of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to crisis and disaster-stricken areas; earlier this year, aid was air dispatched to Madagascar, South Sudan, Uganda and Iraq.Similarly, HRH Princess Haya flew last year in October 2016 to Haiti and personally oversaw the delivery and distribution of relief supplies after hurricane Matthew had demolished the island.By: Khaleej Times |September 7, 2017