Helos Flying Supplies To Earthquake Victims
In the search for
heroes, we can certainly admire those Army helicopter crews who fly
relief and rebuilding supplies to earthquake victims in Pakistan,
still suffering a full year after the disaster.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter can fly on just one engine. It can
even fly without benefit of its advanced flight-control system. But
it doesn't get off the ground without fuel.
That's why petroleum supply specialists like Army Cpl. Charlette
Henager are here with a team of three Chinooks and their crews. The
helicopter aircrews are delivering rebuilding supplies to the
northern part of Pakistan, which was devastated by a magnitude 7.6
earthquake a year ago.
Henager (shown right, and below) -- a Fremont County, CO
native -- volunteered to come on this mission, dubbed
Operation Promise Keeping. She and her fellow petroleum supply
soldiers have several responsibilities, from refueling the
helicopters to testing jet fuel bought from local suppliers.
"We test the fuel thoroughly to make sure it's safe," Henager
said. "We test it to make sure it doesn't have water or debris in
it."
Several servicemembers in Pakistan for Operation Promise Keeping
were here in 2005 for Operation Lifeline, the multinational
response to bring food, medical aid and relief supplies to the
area. Henager said it was important for her and her fellow fueling
specialists to return to Pakistan.
"When we were first deployed last year, it was right after the
earthquake," she said. "We'd top off every single aircraft as soon
as they would get back to make sure they were ready for their next
mission."
Above all others, the flight crews for the CH-47s are most
appreciative of soldiers like Henager.
"When we have them with us, it means we can fuel up in less than
five minutes to get back on with the mission," said Lt. Col. Walter
Bradly, a Chinook pilot and the company commander.
"These guys make sure
we're flying safe, and we know we can trust them to do the job
right. By having them with us here, it means at least one more trip
out every day with the time they save us, and that means more
supplies are getting to the people who need them."
This second trip to Pakistan for Henager and her crew of four is
especially rewarding. They've "come full circle," she said.
"It's great because we get to see the impact that we're having,"
Henager said. "We see what we're supporting and every time a
Chinook takes off with a load of supplies, we know we had a hand in
that. We know they wouldn't be flying if it weren't for us."
(Aero-News salutes Air Force Senior Airman J.G. Buzanowski,
Combined Joint Task Force 76 public affairs.)