Photo By Capt. Andrew Layton | The 217th Air Operations Group, based at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich.,...... read more read more
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BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – Airmen from Battle Creek Air National Guard Base have been activated to support hurricane relief operations with the Air National Guard Readiness Center’s Crisis Action Team, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
Base leaders received the tasking Sept. 13, 2018 from the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. The order came hours before Hurricane Florence made landfall on the U.S. Atlantic coast.
So far, three members of the base’s 217th Air Component Operations Squadron have been called up for an indefinite period to assist with planning and command and control operations which oversee the ANG’s response to the current hurricane emergency. They will provide air operations, logistics, and supervisory expertise as the Crisis Action Team maintains 24/7 awareness of the hurricane and any recovery efforts.
More airmen may be activated in the coming days.
“These positions are critical to the success of the Air National Guard response to the hurricane and its aftereffects.” said Lt. Col. Kent Harbaugh, commander of the 217 ACOS. “We are trained and ready to respond in times of crisis – to be called like this is why we joined the Guard.”
The 217 ACOS is part of the base’s state-of-the-art Air Operations Group, which specializes in mission planning, to include the creation and synthesis of complex air tasking orders used by commanders to delegate strategic objectives to aircrews.
Meanwhile, base members are still involved in relief activities stemming from last September’s devastating Hurricane Maria.
On Sept. 11, 2018, 15 members of the base’s 110th Medical Group returned from Cataño, Puerto Rico, where they had been operating since Aug. 28, providing no-cost medical, dental, and optometry care to citizens still recovering from the storm.
The mission was part of the Department of Defense’s ongoing Innovative Readiness Training Ola de Esperanza Sandora, which means “healing wave of hope.”
“It is always a compliment when airmen from Battle Creek are requested by-name to support operations in the National Capitol Region,” said Col. Bryan Teff, base commander. “The fact that our members continue to make a difference on a national and global stage is a testament to their skill and professionalism.”
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.14.2018 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 292845 |
| Location: | BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 286 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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