Photo By Senior Airman Sarah McKernan | 102nd Rescue Squadron loadmasters, assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing, load an HC-130J...... read more read more
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Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, N.Y. – 21 pararescuemen from the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing departed from Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, N.Y., and headed for Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Jacksonville, Florida, to aid in the relief efforts for Hurricane Milton, October 9.
At the direction of Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York National Guard dispatched Soldiers from Syracuse, along with the Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing to assist the Florida National Guard in response to the hurricane.
The 21 pararescuemen traveled aboard in one of the wing’s HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft and in a truck convoy.
Preparations began early on the morning of October 8, with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers assigned to the wing’s 103rd Rescue Squadron preparing and packing their gear, which included two stake-bed trucks, inflatable boats, confined space equipment, flotation devices and medical supplies, said Lt. Col. Salvatore Sferrazza, 103rd Rescue Squadron commander.
“When something like this happens, the citizen soldier concept really gets solidified,” he said. “We are subordinate to Florida in this. We are there to help them with whatever they need, how and when they need it and just be a good teammate to them.”
The 103rd Rescue Squadron’s Guardian Angel mission is designed to conduct Personnel Recovery across the full range of military operations.
On the morning of October 9, loadmasters assigned to the wing’s 102nd Rescue Squadron, and Air Transportation Specialists worked together to load the vehicles and equipment aboard the aircraft.
“My team and I were here until late last night (Tuesday), inspecting all the cargo and making sure everything is safe for flight,” said Tech. Sgt. Jonathan McPherson, 106th Air Transportation Superintendent. “Today we’re supporting the loadmasters, doing quality control and ensuring the equipment is secured on the aircraft.”
Sferrazza explained that previous training exercises have equipped the unit to effectively respond to real-world scenarios like Hurricane Milton.
“All of the things that we are executing right now is exactly the same method and ideology that went into Agile Rage,” he said. “Our ability to organically pack up, using our own aircraft, our own ground convoy, and project the force forward, that translates perfectly to hurricane response, and we identified that during Agile Rage.”
According to Sferrazza, Agile Rage was a wing readiness exercise that tested the wing’s ability for force projection for long-range contested personnel recovery.
“The biggest thing is our ability to be self-sufficient,” Sferrazza explained. “We’re not relying on other people to move us and then in turn, incurring a bigger ask. We are given a mission and that is all we need to be able to go and execute it.”
Staff Sgt. Evan Van Nieuwenhuyze, a pararescueman with the 103rd Rescue Squadron, explained that this is his first real-world mission since graduating from training.
“Preparing for my first mission was actually pretty bittersweet,” he said. “You don’t wish anything bad upon people and the tragedies that come along with a hurricane. However, it was nice to know that we have a skill set that is employable and we’re able to help people in need.”
After arriving at Camp Blanding, the team linked up with the Florida National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, where they began separating into boat teams and building standard operating procedures in preparation for taskings to come down following the impact of Hurricane Milton, explained Nieuwenhuyze.
Lt. Col. Sean Garell, 106th Operations Group Deputy Commander and HC-130J rescue pilot, explained that the 106th’s priority is to maintain readiness.
“We typically train for combat search and rescue, but a lot of the capabilities that we apply in combat also apply to humanitarian situations, in this case a natural disaster,” he said. “We maintain our normal combat readiness which helps posture us for response during emergency situations like this.”
Garell explained that New York maintains a mutual aid agreement with Florida, sharing resources in times of crisis.
“We showcased the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept where we were able to organically train, prepare, launch and then execute our mission set,” Garell said. “Although there were no official taskings while deployed to Florida, our Guardian Angel team was able to integrate with the 20th Special Forces Group, proving interoperability and capability, which will better prepare our response the next time a hurricane strikes.”
Before returning home, the 106th team were presented with the Florida State Activation Medal and Army Achievement Medal, by Colonel Jason Hunt, Commander of the Florida National Guard’s 83rd Troop Command, for their willingness and capability to quickly respond in the relief efforts for Hurricane Milton.
The pararescuemen returned to the 106th on Friday, October 11.
“I’m super proud to be a part of such an elite team here at the 106th,” said Nieuwenhuyze. “I’m humbled every day and am really grateful for all the mentors that I’ve met along the way and that I’m here and get to do the job that we do.”
The 106th Rescue Wing, based at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York, operates and maintains the HC-130J Combat King II search and rescue aircraft, and the HH-60W Jolly Green II search and rescue helicopter. The 106th Rescue Wing is home to a special warfare squadron with pararescuemen and combat rescue officers, specializing in rescue and recovery, and deploys for domestic and overseas operations.
| Date Taken: | 10.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2024 14:52 |
| Story ID: | 483092 |
| Location: | WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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