One pilot's birds eye view of Haiti

  • Published
  • By Capt. Brandon Schrader
  • 96th Airlift Squadron
Minneapolis-St. Paul --  Starting the descent and approach into Toussaint L' Ouverture International Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, you would have never guessed a major earthquake had recently struck and caused all the destruction that was reported on the news. The countryside is lush with vegetation and green; the city from our view didn't have the image I had conjured of a complete pile of rubble.

Once we were low enough to start making out some details, you could see the tent cities and the people in masses gathering outside the airport waiting to receive humanitarian aid.

Taxiing into parking you could see the international response with Venezuelan, Russian, Canadian, British and U.S. aircraft delivering aid and supplies along with non-governmental organizations bringing in supplies with general aviation aircraft. The pace on the flight line was hectic with aircraft taxiing, loading and unloading, and fork lifts, All Terrain Vehicles and support vehicles racing across the ramp to get to the next aircraft.
On this day, going into Haiti, we are there to pick up critically injured Haitians and deliver them to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. However, as we had experienced on previous missions, you should always expect changes. These changes came in the form of our final destination changing mid-flight to Tampa, FL, due to area hospitals in South Florida being overwhelmed with patients.

Upon parking and shutting down engines, our Aeromedical Evacuation crew from Scott AFB, Ill. coordinated with the expeditionary Aeromedical Staging Squadron on the airfield for our upload. We have no idea how many patients we would be hauling until talking with the medical personnel on the field. The back end is being rigged essentially front-to-back with litters, many more than anyone of us had ever seen.
"In my 24 years of flying airlift aircraft, I've never seen the cargo compartment of the C-130 filled almost completely with litters for patients," said mission navigator Lt. Col. Craig Trammell, 96th AS commander. "We were ready for as many as we could evacuate."

On this flight we hauled a total of 17 patients with 16 being on litters and one ambulatory, with an additional 14 family members.
Injuries included a crushed pelvis, amputated limbs, third-degree burns, head injuries and many other injuries necessitating hospital care in the United States. Due to the severity and specialty care required by some, we were required to carry a Critical-Care Air Transport team. Patients age ranged from a 4-year-old girl to an 80-something-year-old man. It is hard to imagine the feelings of nervousness and apprehension the patients must have experienced flying on an aircraft, probably for the first time, and receiving medical care from people who they do not understand and being in an environment that is noisy and full of vibrations. After our two hours of ground time we are loaded up and ready to depart to Tampa, FL, to deliver the patients and their family members to receive the care needed to survive.

During our time supporting the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, we provided airlift operating out of MacDill AFB, FL, delivering critical relief supplies to the people Haiti by transporting 131,000 pounds of cargo to different airfields in the Dominican Republic to be trucked into Haiti. For many of those involved in the two-week mission it was a humbling and gratifying experience to support Operation Unified Response and the people of Haiti. "I am proud to be associated with such professionals as the Airmen of the 934th AW; and blessed to be the Commander of the 934th Operations Group where the 96th Airlift Squadron is assigned," said Col. Ron Wilt, 934th Operations Group commander. "Missions like this- in supporting our fellow man - make all our efforts in being Mission-Ready worthwhile."