Articles

Airmen prepared to give more

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Sonya Croston
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
UTAPAO, Thailand --  Airmen aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules made history when they made the delivery of United States humanitarian relief supplies to the storm-ravaged country of Burma May 12.

Cyclone Nargis tore through Burma's southern region May 2, reportedly killing more than 30,000 people.

"Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children were impacted by last week's cyclone. We are very grateful that the Burmese government has allowed us to do one of the things our great Air Force men and women do extremely well...provide immediate and effective humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to affected regions all over the world," said Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Howie Chandler.

The supplies onboard the C-130 consisted of 8,300 bottles of water, two pallets of mosquito netting, and one pallet of blankets. Deliveries of food, medical supplies and shelter are expected to arrive in upcoming days, providing crucial support for the Burmese people.

Flying along on the mission, Admiral Timothy Keating, U.S. Pacific Command commander said "We stand ready to help our humanitarian relief teams. We just want to help."

Airmen throughout Pacific Air Forces were engaged on the mission to make it a success. "We're pretty excited to be here. This is what we get paid to do and what we're organized to do," said Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Stone, 36th Contingency Response Group.

"We can do much more," said Gen. Chandler. "Today was a big first step and it is the hope of everyone here that we will be able to continue down this same road with continuous relief supplies for all those who need them." 

Additional humanitarian relief flights are currently being coordinated through the Burmese officials. The U.S. Governmnet continues to urge the Burmese regime to allow international humanitarian relief teams access to the affected regions in Burma to expdiate the assistance to those who need it most. 

The U.S. military has six C-130s in Utapao and Korat, Thailand on stand-by. Additionally, the Marine Corps has four KC-130J aircraft in Bangkok.

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