JACKSON, Miss. - It was a routine day at the 172nd Airlift Wing in Jackson, Miss., until the phone rang around 1:50 pm. The call was an emergency airlift request to transport equipment to the stranded miners in Utah. Immediately, wing personnel organized an effort to get a C-17 Globemaster III in the air to get the needed equipment to the miners as quickly as possible.
One of the first calls after the initial request came in was to George Rollins, the truck driver delivering the equipment. Our task was to coordinate the nearest airfield to the trucker to pick up this precious cargo and driver. The location chosen was Forbes Field in Topeka, Kan., home of the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard.
Wing personnel from the Mississippi Air National Guard coordinated efforts across the base and nation to get the mission off the ground. Aircraft availability, trip feasibility (will the truck fit in the plane), authorizations, coordination with the Kansas unit and higher headquarters were just some of the call and coordination made to get the mission off. Finally, at 4:30 pm the mission took off from Thompson Field in Jackson, Mississippi.
Col. William Crisler, commander at the 172nd in Jackson, noted that, "this mission is typical of what the National Guard is all about. We're always ready to respond in a moments notice to help our citizens in a time of need."
In the early stages of organizing the mission, Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Best of the 172nd Operations Support Flight, had to ensure the vehicle would actually be allowed to travel aboard the C-17, as well as knowing if the vehicle would physically be able to be loaded on the aircraft. Best remarked, "it was quite hectic for a while. We had to scramble to find all the information from multiple sources and put it all together."
The high-tech equipment delivered to the mine in Utah was underground video equipment. Substrata Camera Services out of Knoxville, Tenn., specializes in providing underground video surveys for routine and emergency situations. Mr. Avery Clark, owner of the company, had flown out earlier to provide smaller cameras to scene. The bulk of the equipment flew on the Mississippi C-17.
During the three and a half hour flight to Utah, things went like clockwork. The weather was perfect and the C-17 had no problem hauling the 19,580 pound vehicle. Loadmaster Senior Master Sgt. Allen Randall said, "It was a privilege to assist on this mission that may save the miner's lives."
Likewise, from the pilots perspective, aircraft commander Lt. Col. James Hartline said, "the support we received from both the Forbes unit and the Utah Air Guard was superb. We could not have completed the mission this fast without everyone's support."