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A C-17 Globemaster III from the 315th Airlift Wing and crew from the 701st Airlift Squadron delivers humanitarian aid in Port-Au-Price, Haiti. The 315th Airlift delivered nearly 56,000 lbs. of cargo on a recent mission. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Capt. Wayne Capps)
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Real-world mission helps reserve Aerial Porters prepare for deployment
Posted 2/6/2012 Updated 2/6/2012
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by Capt. Wayne Capps
315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
2/6/2012 - PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI -- A humanitarian mission to Haiti turned into the perfect training opportunity to help prepare a group of reserve Aerial Porters for upcoming deployments.
Reservists from the 81st Aerial Port Squadrons at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. embarked on a three-day mission to help deliver humanitarian supplies to Haiti in preparation for upcoming deployments.
"It feels good to belong to an organization with the resources and ability to be able to provide aid to those in need and to be part of the team that delivered the supplies is very rewarding," said Tech. Sgt. Alvin Casiano, one of the aerial porters on the mission.
The training missions consisted of two C-17 Globemaster IIIs along with a group of aerial porters delivering almost 56,000 lbs. of humanitarian supplies.
"It was a fantastic mission to fly and makes us proud of what we do," said Senior Master Sergeant Mark Carabetta, ATOC superintendent with the 81st APS. "Sometimes being in APS is not very glamorous but to see the whole picture and see people benefit from your work puts things into perspective."
The group helped deliver medical supplies, food, clothing and construction equipment bound for schools and medical clinics in Dumbay, Haiti as well as picked up and delivered cargo to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Senior Master Sgt. Carabetta also feels participating in this mission will help him on his upcoming six-month deployment. "It was an opportunity to refresh my skills as an aerial porter and it reinforces that what we are doing is important. That is something to take back to the Airmen who will be working with me who may only see one side of the mission," said Carabetta.
Delivering supplies to Haiti was an eye-opening experience for Master Sgt. Kevin Mitchell, also from the 81st APS. "It feels good to be a part of this mission and it was a great opportunity to see the mission from start to finish," he said. "Missions like these are important for utilizing and refreshing the skills that we have not used in a while. This mission definitely helped us prepare for our deployment."
The relief missions are part of ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Haitian people and were made possible by the Denton Amendment, a State Department program that allows donated humanitarian supplies to fly on Air Force assets on a space available basis.
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