Sailors on the Iwo Jima have been conducting constant helicopter operations since Sept. 5 in support of Hurricane Katrina and flooding relief operations as part of Joint Task Force (JTF) Katrina.

As the command-and-control center for JTF Gulf Coast, LHD 7 has become a floating air terminal, lending organization and direction to the myriad relief missions flown daily. A fleet of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard and civilian helicopters touch down and take off around the clock, flying cargo, personnel and hurricane victims to and from the ship.

“When we first got here, we saw no less than 40 helicopters flying around, like gnats on a hot summer day,” said Lt. Troy Brown, Iwo Jima’s Assistant Air Officer. The ship inherited a good deal of that air traffic.

“Sixty hits a day is probably average,” Brown said.

“We provide a tremendous asset, and we’re definitely willing to do all we possibly can to help the people of New Orleans.”

According to Brown, Iwo Jima’s flight deck has received numerous high-level JTF officials, particularly since Commander, JTF Katrina Army Lt. Gen. Russell Honore has used the ship as the nerve center of planning and policy.

Each “hit” comprises a takeoff and landing. According to Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Second Class (AW) Courtney Godfrey, every hit constitutes an isolated flight operation, so personnel on deck have worked an average of 120 events per day, bringing the total in JTF Katrina to almost 1,000.

“We’ve been flying non-stop,” said Godfrey.

“We’ve been sending out water and vertically replenishing food and medical supplies. We even transported a couple of casualties here a few days ago to get them medical help.”

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Daniel Galey said he was eager to help from the outset, and said he feels gratified for playing a small, yet integral part in the JTF. Citing one such example, Galey said he was heartbroken by the citizens he saw climbing out of helicopters seeking refuge aboard Iwo Jima. “A couple of days ago, a helicopter landed to bring some people that had been rescued, and they looked terrible,” he recalled. “Two Sailors and I had a couple of sandwiches and a few oranges, so we passed them out. It wasn’t enough to feed everybody there, but hopefully they could divide it and give them each something.

“That was the best part of it," said Galey.

"Knowing I actually helped someone on a personal level.” [ANN Thanks Journalist 3rd Class (SW) John Stevens, USS Iwo Jima Public Affairs]

FMI: www.news.navy.mil/local/hurricane