CONTACT: Tech. Sgt. Michael O’Halloran at (845) 563-2040/207

FOR RELEASE: Friday, Apr 01, 2011

NEWBURGH, N.Y. (04/01/2011)-- A C-5 A Galaxy assigned to the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing took off today to deliver 100,000 pounds of emergency supplies to Japan. The flight will take the aircrew from the continental U.S. to Alaska and finally into Yokota Air Base to offload their cargo. The aircrew is not expected to remain overnight in Japan. The mission to Yokota Air Base, near Tokyo, Japan, supports Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. military relief effort to bring humanitarian aid to a country recently stricken by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake. More than 18,000 U.S. forces mobilized in the post-disaster operation called "Tomodachi," a Japanese word meaning "friends." U.S. forces are cooperating with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces to deliver relief items such as food, water and blankets. The C-5 aircraft based in New York’s Hudson Valley will make its first humanitarian relief mission as part of the Air Force effort to sustain relief efforts in Japan with equipment and supplies. Yokota Air Base has been the hub airport for Operation Tomodachi. Air Force personnel working around-the-clock duty have processed 650 tons of cargo and supplies to devastated areas as of March 29. The relief mission of the 105th Airlift Wing crew expects to avoid any area close to the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Air Force officials at Yokota Air Base detour missions in Japan to avoid the site of the nuclear incident. As a further precaution, aircrew members will also be supplied with radiation dosimeters and potassium iodide tablets. The New York Air National Guard’s C-5 Galaxy carries the most cargo of any Air Force aircraft. Since the large cargo aircraft cannot land on austere runways, the C-5 will transload its cargo to smaller aircraft for movement to forward locations in northern Japan. For more than 25 years, the 105th Airlift Wing has provided support and disaster relief missions for locations around the world. The wing also continues to support contingency missions in support of military forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 105th Airlift Wing is one of two Air National Guard units in the country with an operational C-5 mission. The unit’s 13 aircraft regularly fly missions around the world in support of America’s armed force. The Air Force recently selected the 105th Airlift Wing to receive the C-17 cargo plane, the newest, modernized cargo aircraft capable of delivering relief supplies at forward locations. For information about the 105th Airlift Wing, contact Tech. Sgt. Michael O’Halloran at (845) 563-2040/207.