PACAF Airmen deploy to Indonesia to help quake victims

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Veronica Pierce
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Twenty-six members of an Air Force Humanitarian Assistance Rapid Response Team and a seven-person mobile field surgical team left here at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 5 en route to Padang, Indonesia, to provide medical care to those affected by the recent 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

Padang and surrounding areas on the west coast of Sumatra were devastated by the Sept. 30 earthquake and several strong aftershocks.

The HARRT, comprised of members from the 36th Wing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 13th Air Force at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and the 374th Medical Group here, combines medical and contingency response experts.

"HARRT augments a host nation's medical response during times of disaster," said Lt. Col. David Olson, HARRT medical commander. "Four hospitals in Padang are damaged two of them severely -- so will be providing disaster relief, predominantly ambulatory care."

The surgical team, consisting of specialists in the fields of general surgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology and emergency medicine is out of the 3rd Medical Group at Elmendorf.

The HARRT, led by Col. Dan Settergren, combines the command and control and base operating support capability of the 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen with the medical expertise of medical personnel to form a small, rapid-response unit deployable within 24 hours to an austere environment to help host nations during disaster relief operations.

"With all the recent natural disasters, Pacific Air Forces is facing many challenges throughout the Pacific Rim," said Colonel Settergren. "With approximately 3,000 people still missing, Indonesia calls for the most need of urgent medical care."

A C-17 Globemaster III crew from Elmendorf transported the team and 13 pallets of equipment necessary to support the team, which is self-sustaining for up to five days.