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Lifeblood of Africa: Airlift missions provide much-needed humanitarian assistance

  • Published
  • By Maj. Ann Peru Knabe
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The 120-degree heat, dusty wind and 4,500-foot dirt runway seemed worlds away from snowy Pennsylvania, the home of Capt. Pat Stafy.

The Air Force Reserve pilot, activated to fly with the 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Southwest Asia, was flying his third mission to Bilate, Ethiopia.

From nearby trees, monkeys watched Captain Stafy and the rest of the C-130 crew members on the barren runway. More than 50 hungry children anxiously waited in the bushes for the loadmasters to hand out candy and snacks. When the treats were thrown, they rushed forward, grabbing anything they could get their hands on.

“This part of the mission doesn’t fall under any operational order,” said Lt. Col. Brian Kraemer, a 746th EAS navigator. “But, it still fits in nicely with the overall concept of the HOA (Horn of Africa) ‘flex’ mission, because it focuses on winning the hearts and minds of the people through goodwill gestures and humanitarian work.”

The C-130 crew is deployed from the 913th Airlift Wing based at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, Pa., one of three different Reserve units flying weekly channel missions in support of Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa. Based at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, CJTF-HOA relies on the support of C-130s assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing based in Southwest Asia.

Crews deploy from Southwest Asia for several days, flying a variety of missions out of Djibouti. Most of the missions involve humanitarian airlift and transport of military personnel and senior government leaders. They are known as “flex” missions because of their flexibility.

“It’s all about planting the seeds of goodwill,” said 1st Lt. Justin Botts, a co-pilot serving in the area of responsibility for the first time. “Our missions are much more than carrying food and water. Humanitarian assistance operations deepen trust and cooperation between U.S. forces and citizens in the region.”

Each C-130 aircraft carries up to 42,000 pounds of cargo or 92 passengers. Typically, it’s a mix of both as the flights meet the needs of multiple missions throughout Africa, ranging from Kenya to Ethiopia.

Lieutenant Botts explained the simple act of carrying cargo on a C-130 aircraft affects thousands of people.

“On our last mission, we carried thousands of pounds of equipment needed to dig a well in a small Ethiopian community,” he said. “Once the well is built, it will do more than bring fresh water to the people. It will become a gathering spot, and the whole area will become a location that encourages education and positive community growth.”

The well mission in Gode, Ethiopia, required three days of multiple C-130 flights to deliver the equipment. On each flight, the aircrew members were greeted by the same airport manager. By the third trip, he could no longer contain his gratitude.

“When I filed the flight plan on the third day, he hugged me because he was so grateful,” Captain Stafy said. “We had become friends; they trusted us, and they knew we wanted to help them and their community.”

Other missions are people focused. Maj. Mohamed Golle, an Ethiopian army liaison officer for CJTF-HOA, is a frequent traveler on the C-130 channel missions. He recently traveled from Djibouti to Bilate to work ground operations in the remote town with limited access to the outside world.

“These planes are a critical link to getting the mission done,” he said. “They allow us to travel around Africa, allowing us to be mobile in our work.”

U.S. Marine Sgt. Mark Girgis, agreed. The first-generation American whose parents are Egyptian has found himself a hot commodity in CJTF-HOA missions around Africa because he is fluent in Arabic. He serves as a contractor at Camp Lemonier, and the C-130 is his primary means of travel within Africa.

Other “frequent flyers” include embassy officials, counter-terrorism personnel and special operations Soldiers. The aircraft can also be configured to transport medical patients on litters.

However, the HOA mission goes beyond moving just people and humanitarian supplies. Every flight carries fresh water and food, the lifeblood of service members throughout the region. Other cargo includes generators, aircraft parts, medical supplies and even mail.

Despite the 12- to 15-hour days, Captain Stafy finds the HOA run one of the most gratifying missions in the AOR.

“There’s no doubt we’re making a difference,” he said. “We’re touching the lives of our own service members and thousands of Africans every day.”

(Major Knabe, a traditional Reservist assigned to the 440th Airlift Wing, Gen. Mitchell International Airport Air Reserve Station, Wis., wrote this article while deployed to Southwest Asia as a member of the 379th AEW public affairs office.)