News>First C-17 delivers humanitarian relief supplies to Sendai
Photos
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Members of the 730th Air Mobility Squadron load ten pallets of water, food and blankets onto a C-17 Globalmaster III aircraft here March 20. These were the first humanitarian relief supplies to be delivered to Sendai. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Senior Airman Nicholas Abbott (center), 730th Air Mobility Squadron, pushes a pallet of water bottles onto a C-17 Globalmaster III here March 20. The pallet was part of the the first humanitarian relief supplies being delivered to Sendai. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)(Released)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- 730th Air Mobility Squadron members load ten pallets of food, water and blankets onto a C-17 Globalmaster III here March 20. This was the first C-17 carrying humanitarian relief supplies to land at Sendai Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Staff Sgt. Carol Kemmis, 703th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, waits to load another pallet inside a C-17 Globemaster III here March 20. This was the first C-17 carrying humanitarian relief supplies to land at Sendai Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
OVER MIYAGI PREFECTURE, Japan -- Capt. Allen Morris, 517th Airlift Squadron, flies to deliver pallets of humanitarian supplies from Yokota Air Base to Sendai Airport here March 20. Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron reopened the runway to fixed-wing aircraft March 16 and cleared the rest of the runway to accommodate larger aircraft such as the C-17, enabling larger shipments of humanitarian aid. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
SENDAI AIRPORT, Japan -- Staff Sgt. Watani Redo, 374th Logistic Readiness Squadron, looks at the damaged airport after landing March 20. Sergeant Redo arrived on the first C-17 Globemaster III to land here, delivering humanitarian relief supplies in support of Operation Tomodachi. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
SENDAI AIRPORT, Japan -- Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron unload ten pallets of humanitarian relief supplies here March 20. The supplies were delivered by the first C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to land at the airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)
by Senior Airman Michael J. Veloz
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
3/21/2011 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Members of the 517th Airlift Squadron of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, took part in a milestone relief support mission during Operation Tomodachi here March 20.
March 20 marked the first C-17 Globemaster III to land in Sendai. The 517th AS delivered an all-terrain forklift to download supplies including four pallets of water and six pallets of blankets and food from Samaritan's Purse in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Japan Mission Center in Osaka and other church partners in Japan. Military aircraft began to touch down in Sendai, Japan providing supplies to those effected by the earthquake that occurred March 11.
"Being first isn't as important as getting there," said Capt. Charles Morris, 517th AS pilot. "Opening Sendai to C-17's is a must for Japan and to demonstrate our resolve and commitment to the Japanese people."
Flight crews were quick to highlight that the mission would not have been successful without the help of a team of combat controllers from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron out of Kadena Air Base, Japan as well as Japanese emergency management organizations.
"The crews on the ground have worked hard to clear a runway large enough for a big airlift," added Captain Morris. "We need more C-17's in there [Sendai] now."
Shortly after the first arrival, a second C-17 made its way towards Sendai carrying 18 pallets of humanitarian aid supplies.
Over the coming weeks, the ability to rapidly deliver more than 90,000 pounds of equipment and supplies into some of the hardest hit disaster areas will prove useful to humanitarian airlift operations centralized at Yokota AB.
