YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan –
As U.S. efforts to support the Government of
Nepal recover from the earthquake that struck the country April 25, the 374th
Airlift Wing sent four C-130 Hercules and accompanying personnel to aid Joint
Task Force-505 in its mission.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated
Central Nepal, resulting in more than 7,000 people reported dead and 14,000 more
injured in days since the incident.
As the only tactical airlift
capability in the Western Pacific, Yokota's 36th Airlift Squadron is extremely
capable of supporting the JTF in its efforts, as they consistently train and
exercise to operate in this same exact type of environment, says Capt. Mark
Nexon, 36 AS, a C-130 H pilot.
According to Nexon, C-130s from Yokota
have a practiced, proven ability to support the JTF in delivering dire supplies
to remote areas that have been cut off from traditional supply routes in
Nepal.
"As PACAF's airlift wing, we are ready to assist USAID and the JTF
in providing support to the people and the Government of Nepal," said Col.
Douglas Delamater, 374 AW commander. "It is our priority to assist the Nepalese
people in their time of need, and our annual preparedness allows us to have
confidence in knowing that the job--delivering life-saving supplies to the
hard-to-reach areas of Nepal--will be safely accomplished."
Personnel
leaving Yokota to join the JTF include enough maintainers, security force
professionals, logisticians contracting personnel and other critical specialties
to sustain operations for up to 30 days.
Additionally, an emergency
medical package with doctors, nurses and medical technicians is also joining the
support effort. The EMED includes a 5-man surgical team consisting of a general
surgeon, an anesthesia provider, an orthopedic surgeon, an operating room nurse
and an emergency response doctor. Additionally, 374 AW deployed personnel to
support the U.S. Agency for International Development and the overall U.S.
government effort to support Nepal's request for humanitarian
assistance.
"We continuously work with our partners across the region to
build trust and create an environment of familiarization," Delamater said. "It
is these relationships that allow us to quickly respond to contingencies that
arise in the Pacific."