ARLINGTON, Va., - The Air National Guard has been working to provide relief supplies to areas in Pakistan affected by flooding since late July.
Col. Greg Nelson, the deputy director of Mobility Forces for Air Force Central Command, is a member of the 123rd Airlift Wing of the Kentucky Air Guard. He is located at Chaklala Air Base in Islamabad, Pakistan, which is one of the main air hubs for the flood relief.
“We are working in concert with the Pakistani Air Force and the government of Pakistan to try to bring air relief in here and then dispatch it throughout the nation where it is needed,” Nelson told a military reporter on Wednesday.
Working in a 10,000 square-foot warehouse, Nelson said it can fill up in a day, depending on how many aircraft arrive from the supporting countries.
“In other words, this is a large airfield (in Islamabad) so larger aircraft can come in and bring shipments of medications or supplies, said Nelson. “We will break it down into smaller loads on tactical airlift aircraft like the C-130 to go into flood affected areas.”
Capt. Robert Dodson, a C-130 Hercules pilot deployed from the 182nd Airlift Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard, was the aircraft commander on the first mission into Pakistan.
"We had a quick response from the time we were notified to the time the pallets were on the airplane," he said. "The whole reason why we're here is to help others when we can and the whole crew is happy to do it."
Dodson and his crew are currently assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
On July 31, Dodson’s crew in a C-130 from the 133rd Airlift Wing of the Minnesota Air Guard delivered nearly 8,000 Halal meals to Pakistan. Halal meals are similar to the U.S. military's packaged ready- to-eat meals, and they are prepared according to Islamic tradition.
Nelson said the U.S. and Pakistani air forces along with several governmental and non-governmental agencies are working together to provide relief to the devastated areas.
“We’re trying to run the air op out of here,” he said.