PACAF Airmen support relief operation in the Philippines

  • Published
  • By Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Pacific Air Forces responded to the urgent call for support after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines killing nearly 6, 000 people and displacing millions more, by deploying a robust airlift capability to the Asia-Pacific region to support the joint humanitarian relief efforts as part of Operation Damayan.

Typhon Haiyan made landfall Nov. 8 in the central islands of the Philippines resulting in a significant loss of life and causing considerable damage to infrastructure.

As part of the joint and combined international relief effort, Pacific Air Forces deployed nearly 300 Airmen, and five cargo aircraft including the C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules to transport those impacted by the typhoon to safe locations and to deliver critical relief supplies.

"Our hearts go out to the Filipino people, as well as their friends and families living around the world," said Brig. Gen. James Hecker, deployed commander of Air Component Coordination Element, Joint Task Force 505 on November 8. "This was a multi-service, multi-government operation with our allies in the Philippines to bring aid to those most in need."

An advance team of Airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group and the 109th Air Operations Group quickly deployed to Manila November 9 to assess the airfields and to standup an air command element to support air and ground operations throughout the region. This laid the ground work that would permit aircraft and personnel to start deploying into the country.

"This is a 24-hour-a-day operation and our guys are motivated," said Col. Thomas Livingston, 36th CRG commander on November 21. "There are many fantastic individual efforts and as we assist the Philippine forces in getting people on the planes, you can really see the partnership building between forces to alleviate further human suffering."

Two C-17's deployed from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and two C-130s deployed from Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, to transport additional Airmen from the 36th CRG Assessment Team into Tacloban. Additionally, three C-130s that were participating in Exercise Cope South in Bangaldesh were redirected to Clark Air Base. At the same time a C-17 brought the full CRG into Tacloban then turned around and took the first of many flights of displaced people to Manila.

By the culmination of Operation Damayan on December 2, PACAF Airmen flew a total of 110 C-17 sorties and 129 C-130 sorties laden with food, water, USAID relief, equipment and supplies totaling to more than 2,080 tons.

"Our Airmen are proud to be of service during [the people of the Philippine's] time of need," said Hecker, who is also the 18th Wing Commander, Kadena Air Base, Japan, on November 21. "That's what good friends and allies do for one another."

PACAF deployed more than 200 of the approximately 350 U.S. Air Force personnel who supported the operation alongside our combined U.S. and Philippine military partners. PACAF aircraft also safely transported more than 7, 400 displaced people away from Tacloban, where much of the devastation occurred, to Manila.

The PACAF-Philippine relationship built and sustained before Typhoon Haiyan, was strengthened further during Operation Damayan and is underscored by a 61-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty.

"This relief effort has revived the Filipino spirit of helping-out each other, or 'bayanihan,'" Lt. Gen. Lauro Dela Cruz, the commanding general of the Philippine Air Force said on November 21. "People from all walks of life have come together to lend their help."

Because of PACAF's continued presence throughout the Pacific and past exercises with the Philippine military, the command was able to rapidly assist them with critically needed capabilities and supplies in this time of crisis.

PACAF maintains a significant capability forward deployed throughout the Asia-Pacific region ready to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.