More Aid Flowing By Air Into Earthquake-Rattled Region

A total of 190 US Army medical specialists are arrived in Pakistan Tuesday to provide aid to those affected by the earthquake that struck the region Oct. 8th.

Members of Task Force 212 left Ramstein Air Base, Germany, aboard a Russian Antonov cargo plane Oct. 17. The task force is built around the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. The unit also includes elements of the 160th Forward Surgical Team, based in Landstuhl, Germany, and the 123rd Main Support Battalion, of the 1st Armored Division, based in Dexheim, Germany.

The first wave of assistance, drivers, nurses and support personnel, supply containers, three five-ton cargo trucks towing generators, and operating room containers on trailers, deployed to Muzafarrabad, Pakistan, where task force members will establish an 84-bed care facility.

"We are part of a larger operation," Army Col. Angel Lugo, the 212th MASH commander, said. Lugo also commands Task Force 212. "The 212th remains at a high state of readiness. The 123rd will provide a water-purification detachment, which can take water from almost any source and make it potable."

Pakistani officials said the earthquake killed more than 54,000 people. Many thousands were hurt and around 1 million Pakistanis are homeless as a result of the 7.6-magnitude quake.

US Army helicopters rushed to the area and began providing aid and search-and-rescue capabilities. Twelve US helicopters are operating in the area with nine more en route. Around 400 US servicemembers are providing ground support for the effort.

Pentagon officials said US airmen have delivered 621 short tons of material to the stricken areas. In addition to helicopter deliveries, US aircraft have planned for two airdrops of supplies to remote areas. Rain, hail and high winds have hampered operations in the region.

Two Army heavy engineer battalions have been alerted for deployment to Pakistan. The units will help clear roads, reinforce bridges and repair communications.

The USS Pearl Harbor has unloaded earthquake relief supplies and equipment, such as bulldozers, in the port city of Karachi. The SS Northern Lights, a ship under contract to the Navy, has also delivered supplies to the region.

US Air Force crews are helping other nations deliver supplies, as well. On Oct. 15, an Air Force C-17 transported seven Qatari soldiers, a Qatari mobile hospital, and 90,000 pounds of cargo to Islamabad International Airport, Pakistan. The cargo included two all-terrain vehicles filled with medical equipment, a five-ton truck, a generator, and a trailer.

"It was very wonderful to go," Saeed A.N. Mohammad, a Qatari army pharmacist and nurse, said. He and three other Pakistan-natives on the team were anxious to get to Pakistan to assist in the relief efforts. The four expressed relief that their immediate families remained unharmed by the natural disaster.

For C-17 aircrew member Airman 1st Class Dan Gutowski, a loadmaster with the 15th Airlift Squadron from Charleston Air Force Base, SC, providing support by airlift was 'just another day,' but he was ready to help.

"I know the earthquake caused a lot of damage, and the Pakistani people really need our assistance," he said. "I'm glad I'm in the position to make it happen."

Since the quake struck, C-17s have flown 938,000 pounds of cargo, 182 pallets and 69 passengers into Pakistan, said Maj. Brent Keenan, the C-17 operations commander for Detachment 2, 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron.

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