"Worth Getting Up In The Morning"

The C-130 Hercules has routinely hauled more than one million troops and 76,000 tons of cargo in and out of Iraq -- but a recent mission was anything but routine.

On December 30, a C-130 from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing touched down in Southeast Asia carrying Baby Noor, her father and grandmother on their way to the United States for medical treatment.

Baby Noor was born with spina bifida and was given one month to live by doctors in Iraq, said Maya Dietz, vice consul for the US Embassy in Baghdad.

Georgia National Guardsmen found the baby during operations in the Abu Gharib neighborhood of Baghdad. While the troops were searching the house, the baby's grandmother took the infant to the Soldiers and asked for their help, Ms. Dietz said.

The guardsmen contacted their congressional representatives and formed an elaborate coalition of humanitarian assistance. A surgeon in Atlanta offered his services free. The commercial flights to the United States were donated by airlines and a non-profit organization in Atlanta will pick up the additional costs for the trip.

US Embassy officials met the family and took them to a local civilian airport.

The C-130 crew on this mission was from Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK -- and originally, December 30 was to have been their day off.

"We weren't scheduled to fly, so to get alerted to fly something like this is pretty darn satisfying," said co-pilot Capt. Raul Ochoa of the 738th Expeditionary Air Squadron. "We've had the opportunity to take part in a lot of missions but this is probably the most rewarding."

The crew flew 71 troops and their gear into Iraq and flew Baby Noor and her family out.

"We're just fortunate to be able to fly them out, it was an honor," said pilot Capt. Craig Hinkley. "I've never done a humanitarian mission quite like this."

"[This flight] makes it worth getting up in the morning," said Flight engineer Tech. Sgt. Bill Thomas. "I was pretty excited to do something this important."

US Embassy officials in Kuwait coordinated with the Kuwaiti minister of interior to allow a smooth passage to the US.

While the story of Baby Noor now moves to the United States, members of the aircrew won't soon forget the flight.

"[This was] one of the best missions I've ever done," said loadmaster Tech. Sgt. Dave Rea. "It's not often we get to help someone like that."

(Aero-News Salutes by Capt. Michael G. Johnson, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs)

FMI: www.af.mil