550th SOS Aids Haiti Post-Quake Effort

  • Published
  • By Capt. Greg LeCrone
  • 550th Special Operations Squadron
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  In mid-January a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit 15 miles Southwest of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Less than 26 hours later, the 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Fla., delivered a team of combat controllers to take control of directing air traffic for what was to be a massive humanitarian-aid effort.

A mere 28 minutes after the first MC-130H Combat Talon II landed, combat controllers were directing traffic into and out-of what would become the central hub for all relief efforts in Haiti. Within days, they had controlled over 600 takeoffs and landings on an airstrip that normally handles, on average, three aircraft a week.

This wasn't the only tasking for the 1st SOW. Already operating at max capacity in support of combat operations in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the air commandos needed some assistance so they called upon the 58th Special Operations Wing, here, for help. Members of the 550th Special Operations Squadron and 58th Operational Support Squadron quickly answered that call.

Capts. Greg LeCrone, James Tuthill and Master Sgt. Troy Tassin were notified and sent to Hurlburt Field to immediately be placed on alert for the next mission into Port-Au-Prince. While attached to the 9th Special Operations Squadron, they studied the special instructions for flying into the congested airfield and calculated cargo requirements and fuel loads for the extended flight. But more importantly, they provided much needed relief for members of the 9th SOS, some of whom were the same aircrew members that were recent 550th SOS graduates.

Their first mission came during a late-afternoon alert as they were tasked to bring medical supplies to Port-Au-Prince. The crew departed with three pallets of supplies along with critical aid packages for local workers. A little over four hours later, they were requesting permission to land from the same combat controllers brought in a week earlier. The parking ramp at the Port-Au-Prince airport was literally filled to capacity with every type of transport aircraft from small piston-powered civilian airplanes to C-17s, Japanese C-130s, large commercial air carriers, and several United Nations helicopters. After off-loading their cargo, they were tasked to redeploy 30 Special Operations Initial Response Team members back to Hurlburt Field who had been deployed to the area supporting planning and logistics operations.

Later, as conventional Air Force units started to arrive, the 1st SOW began to pull their Airmen back to make room at the small, overcrowded airport. In support of this mission, the three crewmembers from the 550th SOS moved additional passengers and two vehicles from Haiti back to the United States.

After moving nearly 15 tons of personnel and equipment to and from Port-Au-Prince, the crew from Kirtland AFB returned to New Mexico to pass along their recent experience to the next generation of air commandos and combat search and rescue aircrews.

Once again, this operation demonstrates the reach and flexibility of our Air Force and highlights the readiness of Air Education and Training Command to respond at a moment's notice. It is in situations like this that the men and women of the 550th SOS take pride in producing world-class aircrew and proving the special operations truth that "competent special operations forces cannot be created after a crisis." The 58th SOW takes pride in knowing that within hours of notification, we can execute our mission anytime, anyplace.

U.S. Air Force Photo by Capt. Greg LeCrone