WEBVTT 00:00.009 --> 00:02.339 Uh Lieutenant Colonel James Heinz go by 00:02.349 --> 00:05.030 frag others also know me by Yuri . Um 00:05.039 --> 00:07.206 the squadron commander and 55th rescue 00:07.206 --> 00:09.710 squadron currently acting commander uh 00:09.720 --> 00:11.720 assigned of the 41st expedition and 00:11.720 --> 00:13.664 rescue squadron in support of disc 00:13.664 --> 00:15.442 operations for hurricane Helene 00:15.442 --> 00:17.909 response . The P RT F as it's known uh 00:17.920 --> 00:19.750 personal recovery task force uh 00:19.760 --> 00:22.479 comprises of the 48th rescue squadron , 00:22.879 --> 00:25.110 the 79th rescue squadron and the 55th 00:25.120 --> 00:27.398 rescue squadron as well as its support . 00:27.520 --> 00:29.742 Uh That's how we operate doctrinally in 00:29.742 --> 00:32.409 combat or in this case , uh for dis a 00:32.430 --> 00:35.659 response . And so we uh we train to be 00:35.669 --> 00:38.720 integrated as APR TF um and a lot of 00:38.729 --> 00:41.060 our doctrine , our tactics are a K 00:41.069 --> 00:43.236 maneuver . We're looking at how we not 00:43.236 --> 00:46.009 only do it as a squadron but how we 00:46.020 --> 00:47.798 form together uh at the line of 00:47.798 --> 00:50.139 scrimmage with three squadrons together 00:50.150 --> 00:52.206 and its support to be able to go and 00:52.206 --> 00:54.317 execute as APR TF . So that's the how 00:54.317 --> 00:56.483 it was formed . We do it on the day to 00:56.483 --> 00:58.939 day for this specifically . Uh Once we 00:58.950 --> 01:01.270 received a uh for this being the 01:01.279 --> 01:03.750 potential to respond to hurricane lien 01:03.759 --> 01:05.959 response . Uh The squadron commanders 01:05.970 --> 01:08.081 at the 56 3rd rest group got together 01:08.081 --> 01:10.739 and decided to establish a command 01:10.750 --> 01:12.940 relationship and then , uh got some 01:12.949 --> 01:14.900 planners together and we started 01:14.910 --> 01:17.077 leaning into the problem of if we were 01:17.077 --> 01:19.299 asked to go , uh , what would that look 01:19.299 --> 01:21.466 like ? And so we knew immediately that 01:21.466 --> 01:23.688 the P RT F was the structure . We would 01:23.688 --> 01:25.790 take our capabilities . Uh And uh we 01:25.800 --> 01:27.911 would respond at the moment , sent us 01:27.911 --> 01:30.078 to wherever they asked us to go rescue 01:30.078 --> 01:30.050 all of us no matter where we're 01:30.059 --> 01:32.392 stationed . Um It's in our blood , it's , 01:32.392 --> 01:34.529 it's our DNA that others may live as 01:34.540 --> 01:36.989 our motto . Um And so if there is a 01:37.000 --> 01:39.370 need for search and rescue , the Air 01:39.379 --> 01:41.819 Force is an exquisite capability that 01:41.830 --> 01:45.660 uh we , we train , we organize um 01:45.800 --> 01:47.800 and , and we're ready at a moment's 01:47.800 --> 01:50.059 notice . And so for this specifically , 01:50.139 --> 01:53.309 um we were told that the 01:54.089 --> 01:56.145 Moody Air Force Base , the 23rd wing 01:56.145 --> 01:58.367 that they would constitute the response 01:58.367 --> 02:00.589 option . Uh But as we continue to watch 02:00.589 --> 02:02.756 the path of the hurricane , we quickly 02:02.756 --> 02:04.978 realized that that path was going to go 02:04.978 --> 02:07.489 right over Southern Georgia . And so at 02:07.500 --> 02:10.610 that point , we understood that um the 02:10.619 --> 02:12.869 41st rescue squadron in the 71st and 02:12.880 --> 02:14.936 the 38th , the rescue squadrons that 02:14.936 --> 02:17.158 are the P RT F out at Moody , that they 02:17.158 --> 02:18.824 probably would not be able to 02:18.824 --> 02:20.658 constitute an effective response 02:20.658 --> 02:22.769 secondary option to that we were told 02:22.769 --> 02:24.880 was Patrick the Reserve P RT F if you 02:24.880 --> 02:28.059 will out of Florida . Um And we kept 02:28.070 --> 02:30.181 monitoring the progression , watching 02:30.181 --> 02:32.619 the news as well as talking to uh our 02:32.630 --> 02:34.741 leadership up at the group , the Wing 02:34.741 --> 02:37.050 and AC C and we continued our 02:37.059 --> 02:38.781 contingency planning under the 02:38.781 --> 02:41.179 assumption that uh we would quickly 02:41.190 --> 02:43.179 move from the contingency and then 02:43.190 --> 02:45.190 quickly move from the alternate and 02:45.190 --> 02:47.134 then into the primary slot . So we 02:47.134 --> 02:49.190 didn't wait for it . We were already 02:49.190 --> 02:51.301 ready for it when the drop happened . 02:51.301 --> 02:53.190 How quickly did it take for us to 02:53.190 --> 02:55.357 respond ? And then uh how quickly were 02:55.357 --> 02:58.630 we able to respond based off of uh the 02:58.639 --> 03:01.020 progression of the hurricane ? And so 03:01.139 --> 03:03.139 the good thing about rescue is that 03:03.139 --> 03:04.972 we're not only monitoring what's 03:04.972 --> 03:06.972 happening in the world , we're also 03:06.972 --> 03:08.917 monitoring what's happening in the 03:08.917 --> 03:11.083 United States . So when it's hurricane 03:11.083 --> 03:13.250 season , uh actually , I I briefed the 03:13.250 --> 03:15.250 squadron uh a month ago of the fact 03:15.250 --> 03:17.583 that it's turning into hurricane season . 03:17.583 --> 03:19.639 And so um your , your blood pressure 03:19.639 --> 03:21.528 rises a little bit , uh You get a 03:21.528 --> 03:23.695 little bit of energy , you walk around 03:23.695 --> 03:25.695 with a quicker pace because we know 03:25.695 --> 03:27.583 inherently that we're going to be 03:27.583 --> 03:29.806 called if needed , that's our mission . 03:30.020 --> 03:32.339 And so uh we were already watching the 03:32.350 --> 03:34.239 hurricane before the news started 03:34.239 --> 03:36.839 capturing it before um any official 03:36.850 --> 03:38.850 reporting in terms of being able to 03:38.850 --> 03:40.850 respond to it , we saw it , we were 03:40.850 --> 03:43.072 tracking it uh and , and then we saw it 03:43.072 --> 03:45.350 come to the path of the Gulf of Mexico . 03:45.350 --> 03:47.350 And we started thinking and talking 03:47.350 --> 03:49.350 across the squadrons and the rescue 03:49.350 --> 03:51.461 group about what would this look like 03:51.461 --> 03:53.572 to up to and including we were battle 03:53.572 --> 03:55.739 drilling and rock drilling , what this 03:55.739 --> 03:57.794 would look like again before we were 03:57.794 --> 04:00.017 even notified . And so by the time that 04:00.017 --> 04:02.539 we got the call , um this was uh excuse 04:02.550 --> 04:04.919 me backing up a step . This was about 04:04.929 --> 04:07.820 Monday or Tuesday . Uh the last week of 04:07.830 --> 04:10.052 September , we were already thinking in 04:10.052 --> 04:12.163 rock drilling , doing the analysis on 04:12.163 --> 04:11.910 what this would look like , what we 04:11.919 --> 04:14.800 call feasibility assessments . And so 04:14.809 --> 04:16.769 doing the mission analysis , the 04:16.779 --> 04:19.112 iterations of what would this look like ? 04:19.112 --> 04:21.459 Where will we go ? Um Monday and 04:21.470 --> 04:23.890 Tuesday and then by Wednesday and I was 04:23.899 --> 04:25.980 in discussions with uh AC C if you 04:25.989 --> 04:28.156 group and wing leadership that we were 04:28.156 --> 04:30.459 a potential . So , uh you know , just 04:30.470 --> 04:32.760 like a sports analogy if , if I'm on 04:32.769 --> 04:35.047 the field and I'm sitting on the bench , 04:35.047 --> 04:37.102 I'm gonna be ready to go in the game 04:37.102 --> 04:39.102 when the coach tells me . And so we 04:39.102 --> 04:41.269 were doing our mission rehearsals , we 04:41.269 --> 04:42.936 were doing analysis , we were 04:42.936 --> 04:45.158 identifying uh crews and support layers 04:45.158 --> 04:47.619 and sustainment requirements um based 04:47.630 --> 04:49.797 off of the storm and the impact it was 04:49.797 --> 04:51.686 having on local communities . The 04:51.686 --> 04:53.980 challenge however , was we were 04:53.989 --> 04:56.170 expecting a potential response to the 04:56.179 --> 04:59.109 coastline . What we reacted to was a 04:59.119 --> 05:01.839 response to the inland uh area of 05:01.850 --> 05:03.850 possibly Tennessee , North Carolina 05:03.850 --> 05:05.683 South Carolina didn't change our 05:05.683 --> 05:08.059 configuration , didn't change uh the 05:08.070 --> 05:10.126 equipment that we were bringing . Uh 05:10.126 --> 05:12.292 but it did change our posture in terms 05:12.292 --> 05:14.600 of , oh , no kidding , moody is 05:14.609 --> 05:16.831 probably out of the game on this and we 05:16.831 --> 05:18.776 were gonna be up . And so then the 05:18.776 --> 05:21.640 question for me uh in the 5 63rd was , 05:21.649 --> 05:23.871 is it gonna be Patrick the reserve unit 05:23.871 --> 05:26.559 or is it gonna be uh Davis Mon's team ? 05:27.420 --> 05:29.642 And so , because we had already started 05:29.642 --> 05:31.476 leaning ahead during the mission 05:31.476 --> 05:33.820 analysis . Um and we had brought 05:33.829 --> 05:35.996 forward to our leadership that we were 05:35.996 --> 05:37.996 capable and we had done the mission 05:37.996 --> 05:39.829 planning and we had uh course of 05:39.829 --> 05:42.250 actions co a developed uh I think they , 05:42.260 --> 05:44.450 they eventually uh looked at us and 05:44.459 --> 05:48.390 asked us to go . And so , uh the 05:48.640 --> 05:51.559 that Thursday , um Wednesday or 05:51.570 --> 05:55.029 Thursday 28th , 29th of September , um 05:55.510 --> 05:57.510 We had communicated back up to our 05:57.519 --> 05:59.463 leadership that here's our plan if 05:59.463 --> 06:02.630 asked to go . Uh We had started packing 06:02.640 --> 06:04.584 our 72 hour bags and , and we were 06:04.584 --> 06:06.899 ready that Saturday morning , uh the 06:06.910 --> 06:09.850 last weekend in September . Um I got 06:09.859 --> 06:12.519 the call and woke me up at about 645 06:12.920 --> 06:15.250 from leadership to say you are tasked 06:15.260 --> 06:18.170 to execute uh in support of uh 06:18.179 --> 06:20.600 hurricane Helene disa response . And so 06:20.609 --> 06:23.589 what that meant for me was um one hug 06:23.600 --> 06:25.989 my kids , uh hug my wife , uh tell them 06:26.000 --> 06:28.000 that I love them and I was gonna go 06:28.000 --> 06:30.000 support uh local communities in our 06:30.000 --> 06:31.820 nation . Uh And then two was uh 06:31.829 --> 06:34.070 immediately notify the entire P RT F uh 06:34.079 --> 06:36.269 to come to base and then uh get ready 06:36.279 --> 06:38.446 to start finalizing analysis and , and 06:38.446 --> 06:41.459 put your gear uh in , in airplanes . Uh 06:41.470 --> 06:43.720 So that Saturday we did , uh we 06:43.730 --> 06:45.563 completed all that and then , uh 06:45.563 --> 06:48.119 basically , we're waiting on go . And 06:48.130 --> 06:50.186 so , uh effectively that afternoon , 06:50.186 --> 06:52.459 early , uh we were told we were given 06:52.470 --> 06:54.692 the order to reposition to Columbus Air 06:54.692 --> 06:57.359 Force Base . Um But the , the nuance of 06:57.369 --> 06:59.591 this is that we had decided not to take 06:59.591 --> 07:01.591 our iron , our , our airplanes . So 07:01.600 --> 07:03.489 that was two c one thirties , all 07:03.489 --> 07:05.489 equipment , all people on two C one 07:05.489 --> 07:07.544 thirties , no helicopters because we 07:07.544 --> 07:09.544 knew that the 23rd wing had already 07:09.544 --> 07:11.878 positioned five helicopters in Columbus , 07:11.878 --> 07:14.440 Mississippi as an evacuation from 07:14.450 --> 07:16.750 Valdosta to prevent them from receiving 07:16.760 --> 07:18.816 damage because of the hurricane that 07:18.816 --> 07:20.982 went through . And so our team did the 07:20.982 --> 07:22.982 analysis pretty quickly and decided 07:22.982 --> 07:25.038 that we could uh forward position to 07:25.038 --> 07:27.230 Columbus , take their five helicopters 07:27.239 --> 07:29.359 and continue on through agile combat 07:29.369 --> 07:31.202 employment , concepts of getting 07:31.202 --> 07:33.147 ourselves to different places . Uh 07:33.147 --> 07:35.202 Pretty dang quickly uh picked up the 07:35.202 --> 07:37.258 helicopters and then we were waiting 07:37.258 --> 07:39.258 again in terms of uh slept on a gym 07:39.258 --> 07:41.425 that night and we were waiting for the 07:41.425 --> 07:43.091 next go . And so all of these 07:43.091 --> 07:45.313 iterations were waiting for the word go 07:45.313 --> 07:47.425 go go . We were always ready , always 07:47.425 --> 07:50.089 ready . And so when we got to , uh , to 07:50.100 --> 07:52.410 Columbus , uh , took about an afternoon 07:52.420 --> 07:54.198 and then we received the , um , 07:54.198 --> 07:56.364 permission to continue forward , which 07:56.364 --> 07:58.087 we had selected mcgee Tyson in 07:58.087 --> 08:00.198 Knoxville , Tennessee . Uh , and then 08:00.198 --> 08:03.010 the very next morning , uh , after the 08:03.019 --> 08:04.686 go was passed , we got on our 08:04.686 --> 08:06.720 helicopters and then , uh , got to 08:06.730 --> 08:09.070 Knoxville as soon as we could . Um , 08:09.079 --> 08:11.412 the only thing that was barring us from , 08:11.412 --> 08:13.523 from flying right into the , the area 08:13.523 --> 08:15.857 of operations in North Carolina was the , 08:15.857 --> 08:17.746 the crew rest suspect . So , uh , 08:17.746 --> 08:19.912 safety for my flight crews . And so we 08:19.912 --> 08:21.968 landed in , uh Knoxville , uh hacked 08:21.968 --> 08:24.135 our watch and 12 hours later , we were 08:24.135 --> 08:26.357 up on alert and 10 hours later , we got 08:26.357 --> 08:28.899 the call to execute . Uh , and so , um , 08:28.910 --> 08:31.021 we made it as quickly as possible and 08:31.021 --> 08:33.354 we were flying around Asheville , uh as , 08:33.354 --> 08:35.577 as quickly as legally , uh legally able 08:35.577 --> 08:38.179 to . How did the P RT F fit into a 08:38.250 --> 08:41.258 North and North Com's mission of 08:41.268 --> 08:43.101 integrating with federal state , 08:43.101 --> 08:45.578 regional local authorities for uh disco 08:45.588 --> 08:48.458 response or uh defense support of , uh , 08:48.468 --> 08:52.098 of civilian operations . How did we do 08:52.109 --> 08:54.338 that ? Well , we did that because 08:54.598 --> 08:57.640 that's a core mission of rescue as much 08:57.650 --> 08:59.969 as we're ready to deploy under a 08:59.979 --> 09:02.280 combatant commander . We are ready to 09:02.289 --> 09:04.233 deploy to North Com as a combatant 09:04.233 --> 09:06.750 commander . And so it's , it's seamless . 09:06.760 --> 09:09.669 It's just , uh , what do you need ? Uh , 09:09.679 --> 09:12.169 how long do you need it ? And then , uh , 09:12.179 --> 09:15.150 who's giving me the go . And as soon as 09:15.159 --> 09:18.000 I am told the , the win , uh , the , 09:18.010 --> 09:20.590 where the , who and the authority too , 09:20.599 --> 09:22.710 then we're , we're up and going and , 09:22.710 --> 09:24.932 and we do it and we rehearse it and our 09:24.932 --> 09:26.932 standard is , um , you know , 48 72 09:26.932 --> 09:28.988 hours , we're ready . The reason why 09:28.988 --> 09:31.321 it's seamless is because , uh , we have , 09:31.321 --> 09:33.543 uh , doctrine , we have the playbook on 09:33.543 --> 09:35.766 the shelf , we rehearse to it . I equip 09:35.766 --> 09:37.710 to it . I spend my resources on it 09:37.710 --> 09:39.655 because in defense of the nation , 09:39.655 --> 09:41.877 again , not overseas or just as much as 09:41.877 --> 09:43.932 it is overseas as it is stateside uh 09:43.932 --> 09:46.099 for support for humanitarian efforts . 09:46.109 --> 09:49.049 And so , um it's organic , it's like I 09:49.059 --> 09:51.059 said , at the beginning of , of the 09:51.059 --> 09:53.170 discussion , it's in our blood , it's 09:53.170 --> 09:56.440 what we do . And so , um it fits 09:56.450 --> 09:59.690 because it's designed to fit , we are 09:59.700 --> 10:03.099 tailor made for this reason . Um So 10:03.109 --> 10:05.409 that's the , how uh the , why it fits 10:05.419 --> 10:08.030 so well is because uh if I'm tailor 10:08.039 --> 10:10.039 made and I train to this and I have 10:10.039 --> 10:13.539 airmen and iron uh and resources , 10:13.669 --> 10:16.760 uh then I'm always ready to do it . And 10:16.770 --> 10:18.992 the why is because that others may live 10:19.809 --> 10:22.031 and it , it doesn't matter the who when 10:22.031 --> 10:24.198 we're told to go and , and help people 10:24.198 --> 10:26.142 in need , then we're gonna go . Um 10:26.142 --> 10:28.365 That's why I love this , this mission . 10:28.365 --> 10:30.476 That's why it's so righteous . And so 10:30.476 --> 10:32.698 the last part of that is the who I know 10:32.698 --> 10:34.920 it's north com , uh combat uh combatant 10:34.920 --> 10:37.239 commander , um Northern Forces command 10:37.250 --> 10:40.669 north com uh as a combatant commander . 10:40.880 --> 10:43.190 And so under them , uh air Forces North 10:43.200 --> 10:45.489 or AF North , they integrate with FEMA , 10:45.729 --> 10:47.840 they integrate with the interagency , 10:47.840 --> 10:49.896 they integrate with um Department of 10:49.896 --> 10:52.770 Homeland Defense , um and all the way 10:52.780 --> 10:54.869 down to the states , the each state 10:54.880 --> 10:56.991 individually , right ? And so when we 10:56.991 --> 10:59.047 talk about the total force effort of 10:59.047 --> 11:01.213 active duty of guard and reserves , uh 11:01.213 --> 11:03.324 it is a all hands on deck mentality . 11:03.369 --> 11:05.591 And the only thing that you really need 11:05.591 --> 11:08.880 to do is uh to get to the the layer of 11:08.890 --> 11:11.479 approval process for me to link up with 11:11.489 --> 11:13.640 that individual and then establish , 11:13.650 --> 11:15.928 hey , you're gonna give me the mission . 11:15.928 --> 11:18.150 Yes , I'm giving you the mission . OK ? 11:18.150 --> 11:17.700 I'm standing by and as soon as they 11:17.710 --> 11:19.849 give me the mission we're going and 11:19.859 --> 11:22.081 that's usually the , the last part . Um 11:22.081 --> 11:24.270 and it's not necessarily the positions 11:24.280 --> 11:26.002 those are well defined . And I 11:26.002 --> 11:28.169 understand that structure early . It's 11:28.169 --> 11:30.224 the names and the cell phone numbers 11:30.224 --> 11:32.447 and the chats and the emails . And it's 11:32.447 --> 11:34.391 finding who is who in the , in the 11:34.391 --> 11:36.502 stack of that uh that as soon as I do 11:36.502 --> 11:38.724 that , then it's , it's really flat and 11:38.724 --> 11:41.002 it's agile and adaptive and it's quick . 11:41.002 --> 11:43.058 Um And so my job is to find that out 11:43.058 --> 11:46.450 early , uh get my liaisons uh boots on 11:46.460 --> 11:48.460 ground if you will forward into the 11:48.460 --> 11:50.404 disaster area , which we did uh to 11:50.404 --> 11:52.580 facilitate that to smooth out um the 11:52.590 --> 11:54.757 communication channel . So that way we 11:54.757 --> 11:56.868 can uh we can go and we can execute . 11:57.140 --> 11:59.084 What capabilities could the P RT F 11:59.090 --> 12:02.369 offer uh in support of the whole of 12:02.380 --> 12:04.840 government response to hurricane Helene . 12:05.500 --> 12:08.190 The P RT F personnel recovery task 12:08.200 --> 12:11.000 force is a form fit function to perform 12:11.010 --> 12:14.460 search and rescue . We have um 12:14.760 --> 12:17.760 airmen that are trained to do it . Uh 12:18.280 --> 12:20.447 We have aircraft that are specifically 12:20.447 --> 12:22.669 designed to fly its mission from the HC 12:22.669 --> 12:25.739 130 J with its search capability , its 12:25.750 --> 12:29.330 ability to pass uh fuel to helicopters 12:29.340 --> 12:33.049 and air helicopter , air refueling , um 12:33.080 --> 12:36.150 its ability to do um airspace , 12:36.159 --> 12:38.381 deconfliction for us . They have radios 12:38.381 --> 12:40.799 which they can relay from the ground or 12:40.809 --> 12:44.119 the air to us . Um uh And so it's 12:44.130 --> 12:47.349 really a capability that allows for the 12:47.359 --> 12:49.690 P RT F to be able to operate in its 12:49.700 --> 12:52.799 entirety . And , and so , um 12:53.780 --> 12:56.640 having the C 130 here uh provides a , 12:56.650 --> 12:58.650 it's a force multiplier provides so 12:58.650 --> 13:01.099 much capability . Uh not just for the P 13:01.109 --> 13:03.719 RT F as well as for um you know , the 13:03.729 --> 13:06.219 States if they request it or a federal 13:06.229 --> 13:09.219 response . Um and also its ability to 13:09.229 --> 13:12.619 do uh tactical airlift . Um I couldn't 13:12.630 --> 13:14.852 have actually executed and sustained my 13:14.852 --> 13:16.852 operations without the C 130 here , 13:16.852 --> 13:19.019 either because they're doing logistics 13:19.019 --> 13:21.130 run for maintenance , supply parts uh 13:21.130 --> 13:23.297 to keep my helicopters operating uh or 13:23.297 --> 13:25.519 to launch them into uh into the area we 13:25.519 --> 13:28.679 are operating to provide um uh gas and 13:28.690 --> 13:30.857 command and control if you will to use 13:30.857 --> 13:32.912 that term . Uh as well as its own um 13:32.912 --> 13:34.520 exquisite search and search 13:34.530 --> 13:37.669 capabilities . Um The , the thing about 13:37.679 --> 13:41.500 the C 130 is if I can do my search 13:41.780 --> 13:44.330 and I can do my rescues , um And I 13:44.340 --> 13:46.799 don't have to land to an airfield 13:46.809 --> 13:49.010 that's no longer there because of a 13:49.020 --> 13:51.729 hurricane or the fact that if we did 13:51.739 --> 13:53.683 land there , it would saturate the 13:53.683 --> 13:55.683 ability for the , the local area to 13:55.683 --> 13:58.409 support it . I don't have to land and 13:58.419 --> 14:01.020 the C 130 extends my ability to do 14:01.030 --> 14:03.849 search and rescue um up until the 14:03.859 --> 14:06.081 abilities of the aircrew themselves and 14:06.081 --> 14:07.970 their ability to actually fly the 14:07.970 --> 14:09.803 aircraft . Uh And so when I tell 14:09.803 --> 14:11.915 someone , hey , I can give you search 14:11.915 --> 14:13.970 and rescue on call uh for as long as 14:13.970 --> 14:15.915 you need it . Uh Until again , I'm 14:15.915 --> 14:17.970 legally able to , when my , my crews 14:17.970 --> 14:20.137 have to sleep , right ? Uh And so that 14:20.137 --> 14:22.303 crew rest is really the only , only uh 14:22.303 --> 14:24.359 limitation with that uh the guardian 14:24.359 --> 14:27.159 angel uh weapon system or pa rescue . 14:27.369 --> 14:30.010 We know them as pjs . Uh We brought 14:30.020 --> 14:32.130 with us both an an airborne guardian 14:32.140 --> 14:34.869 angel capability , an air search and 14:34.880 --> 14:36.991 rescue team as well as a ground based 14:36.991 --> 14:39.047 search and rescue team . That ground 14:39.047 --> 14:41.269 based search and rescue team is , is uh 14:41.269 --> 14:43.436 comprised of a newer concept and , and 14:43.436 --> 14:45.380 rescue where we have a specialized 14:45.380 --> 14:48.950 group of um JT and Crows , Sear and 14:48.960 --> 14:51.989 pjs uh that are trained in a in , in a 14:52.000 --> 14:54.590 very dynamic mission set of getting 14:54.599 --> 14:57.140 forward into the area uh in performing 14:57.150 --> 14:59.372 search and rescue , as well as having a 14:59.372 --> 15:01.428 communications capability where they 15:01.428 --> 15:03.539 can reach back on multiple avenues to 15:03.539 --> 15:05.706 be able to develop what we call a site 15:05.706 --> 15:07.872 picture or an understanding what roads 15:07.872 --> 15:10.039 are still there . If there are bridges 15:10.039 --> 15:11.983 that are down , if there are local 15:11.983 --> 15:14.094 communities in need , um And they can 15:14.094 --> 15:16.317 get that back to us as soon as possible 15:16.317 --> 15:18.428 where we then relay that to the state 15:18.429 --> 15:20.485 response at either the federal , the 15:20.485 --> 15:22.596 state , the regional level to say you 15:22.596 --> 15:24.429 have a community in need at this 15:24.429 --> 15:26.651 location . Here's some imagery , here's 15:26.651 --> 15:28.873 how to get there . Uh And we were doing 15:28.873 --> 15:30.890 that within 10 minutes here , 10 15:30.900 --> 15:33.960 minutes . And so I sent that , that um 15:33.969 --> 15:36.429 that ground uh search and rescue team 15:36.440 --> 15:39.190 in uh to Asheville in vicinity of , you 15:39.200 --> 15:40.922 know , in North Carolina . And 15:40.922 --> 15:42.644 immediately they started doing 15:42.644 --> 15:44.756 engagements and interactions with the 15:44.756 --> 15:46.589 local fire department , civilian 15:46.589 --> 15:48.422 competent authorities , um other 15:48.422 --> 15:50.589 civilians . Um And if , if there was a 15:50.589 --> 15:53.409 need , our team was , was uh solving 15:53.419 --> 15:55.869 that , that need very quickly uh as 15:55.880 --> 15:58.047 well as providing uh a higher level of 15:58.047 --> 16:00.729 care uh for themselves . Um And for 16:00.739 --> 16:02.750 others . And so that's the G A 16:02.760 --> 16:04.982 component . Uh So I've talked about the 16:04.982 --> 16:07.093 C 130 I've talked about the G A , the 16:07.093 --> 16:09.869 last piece of this uh is the uh the 16:09.880 --> 16:13.369 helicopters , hh 60 whiskey , uh the H 16:13.380 --> 16:15.559 260 whiskey , the Jolly Green two is 16:15.570 --> 16:19.530 the um latest helicopter that is 16:19.539 --> 16:21.650 actually designed to do combat search 16:21.650 --> 16:23.817 and rescue . Uh for us , we did search 16:23.817 --> 16:25.928 and rescue here uh for civilians . Uh 16:25.928 --> 16:28.719 It is a extremely capable aircraft 16:28.729 --> 16:30.900 especially when you put combat search 16:30.909 --> 16:33.809 and rescue air crew in it to do the 16:33.820 --> 16:36.042 mission with our guardian angels in the 16:36.042 --> 16:38.989 back . Uh It's unlimited in terms of uh 16:39.000 --> 16:41.780 I can do aerial refueling . Uh I have a 16:41.789 --> 16:44.570 uh an ability through um electro 16:44.640 --> 16:47.510 optical uh infrared imaging as well as 16:47.520 --> 16:50.080 cameras uh to be able to do very good 16:50.090 --> 16:52.580 search . Um And so it gives us an all 16:52.590 --> 16:55.349 weather , day night , uh low level , 16:55.359 --> 16:58.039 high level capability that is aerial 16:58.049 --> 17:01.559 refuel , refuel . Um And uh it gives me 17:01.570 --> 17:04.410 a team of guardian angels uh and airmen 17:04.420 --> 17:07.540 that can get to the point of need in a 17:07.550 --> 17:09.717 community , mountainous terrain , flat 17:09.717 --> 17:11.717 terrain , open ocean , desert , you 17:11.717 --> 17:13.717 name it . Uh We can get there . And 17:13.717 --> 17:15.883 then if I don't , if I can't land or I 17:15.883 --> 17:17.939 don't need to land , then I've got a 17:17.939 --> 17:20.161 hoist and I've got um a IES things like 17:20.189 --> 17:22.078 uh alternate insertion extraction 17:22.078 --> 17:24.339 capabilities , fast ropes ladders . Uh 17:24.349 --> 17:27.420 And so we can get boots on ground to 17:27.430 --> 17:29.597 anywhere in the terrain that is needed 17:29.597 --> 17:31.652 and that's what we were doing and we 17:31.652 --> 17:33.763 were doing it really , really quickly 17:33.763 --> 17:35.930 overall for the personal recovery task 17:35.930 --> 17:38.041 force . How do I think we performed ? 17:38.041 --> 17:40.530 That question hits home to me . Um , 17:42.040 --> 17:43.984 my mother actually lives , uh , in 17:43.984 --> 17:45.929 vicinity of Boone , North Carolina 17:45.929 --> 17:48.151 where the hurricane path went through . 17:48.790 --> 17:51.209 Um , I have family in North Carolina 17:51.530 --> 17:53.849 and family in eastern Tennessee . Uh , 17:53.859 --> 17:56.680 I'm from here from North Carolina and I 17:56.689 --> 17:59.089 went to school in Tennessee . You ask 17:59.099 --> 18:01.900 airmen in rescue , uh , why they're in 18:01.910 --> 18:05.599 rescue and you'll find 18:05.609 --> 18:08.390 because their family were ems emergency 18:08.400 --> 18:11.479 response or their dad was a doctor or 18:11.810 --> 18:14.839 they were a firefighter . And for me , 18:14.849 --> 18:17.510 I'm in rescue because uh my brother was , 18:17.520 --> 18:19.631 was hit in Afghanistan . He was blown 18:19.631 --> 18:23.189 up by an IED um and rescue air force 18:23.199 --> 18:25.366 rescue . And the pjs were the ones who 18:25.366 --> 18:27.739 picked him up off the battlefield . Um 18:27.750 --> 18:29.806 I think it's important to bring that 18:29.806 --> 18:32.180 context to this answer of this question 18:32.189 --> 18:35.739 because uh how well we did is based off 18:35.750 --> 18:38.699 the fact that I've said it and I'll say 18:38.709 --> 18:40.931 it again . It's in our blood . Everyone 18:40.931 --> 18:42.709 that signs up for this , it's a 18:42.709 --> 18:44.931 righteous mission . And we want to go , 18:44.931 --> 18:47.098 we want to go at the moment's notice . 18:47.098 --> 18:49.153 And for me and this team , and there 18:49.153 --> 18:51.153 are others on this team uh who have 18:51.153 --> 18:53.320 family in the affected areas . We knew 18:53.320 --> 18:55.487 that we needed to get resources to the 18:55.487 --> 18:57.653 people of North Carolina and Tennessee 18:57.653 --> 18:59.780 as soon as possible . And because we 18:59.790 --> 19:01.739 started with that , that being our 19:01.750 --> 19:03.920 baseline understanding as airmen in 19:03.930 --> 19:06.650 this air force . That is our job . The 19:06.660 --> 19:08.160 level of execution and the 19:08.160 --> 19:10.770 professionalism is the best that I've 19:10.780 --> 19:12.780 ever seen to be part of this team , 19:12.780 --> 19:14.669 including the maintenance and the 19:14.669 --> 19:17.030 support that came with us . So we did 19:17.040 --> 19:19.859 well , because we were born to do well . 19:19.869 --> 19:21.980 When we joined this community , it is 19:21.980 --> 19:24.319 the expectation and we knew because I 19:24.329 --> 19:27.430 was getting uh I got a uh a call or two 19:27.439 --> 19:29.495 that I missed from my mom who left a 19:29.495 --> 19:31.550 voicemail when she was able to leave 19:31.550 --> 19:33.717 her house of the power outages and the 19:33.717 --> 19:36.410 food shortages and uh the medical 19:36.420 --> 19:38.780 necessities and search and rescue for 19:38.790 --> 19:41.260 individuals that were trapped . We knew 19:41.359 --> 19:43.660 that we needed to get here as soon as 19:43.670 --> 19:45.892 possible and we were ready for it . And 19:45.892 --> 19:48.114 when we did get here , we assumed alert 19:48.119 --> 19:51.189 within effectively 10 hours of getting 19:51.199 --> 19:53.532 the call to be on a media alert posture . 19:53.560 --> 19:55.689 And then we began execution when we 19:55.699 --> 19:57.810 were , when the dual status commander 19:57.810 --> 19:59.977 of the state , North Carolina asked us 19:59.977 --> 20:01.977 to be in the state helping him . We 20:01.977 --> 20:03.989 were there um immediately and once 20:04.000 --> 20:06.609 there , we've had so many civilian 20:06.619 --> 20:08.910 interactions with providing food and 20:08.920 --> 20:12.869 medicine and getting um information on 20:13.150 --> 20:15.579 uh who in the community needed help . 20:15.839 --> 20:17.728 Uh And we responded to that or we 20:17.728 --> 20:21.000 linked them to a local ems or police or 20:21.010 --> 20:23.560 fire or uh to the National Guard who 20:23.569 --> 20:26.310 was in the state . Um So every time we 20:26.319 --> 20:28.430 identified that there was a need . Uh 20:28.430 --> 20:30.780 within 15 minutes , we , we provided 20:30.790 --> 20:32.957 either the communication for that need 20:32.957 --> 20:35.012 or we solved it ourselves and we did 20:35.012 --> 20:37.123 that sustained over days and days and 20:37.123 --> 20:39.123 days while we were here . Um So the 20:39.123 --> 20:41.346 team has done fantastic under the , the 20:41.346 --> 20:43.234 direction and command of both air 20:43.234 --> 20:45.420 forces Northern , a North and the 20:45.430 --> 20:47.486 combatant commander for north com as 20:47.486 --> 20:50.069 well as uh the state uh dual status 20:50.079 --> 20:53.000 commander for the Guard . Um The , the 20:53.010 --> 20:54.899 fe a response to it and the , the 20:54.899 --> 20:57.280 collaboration with them to figure out 20:57.290 --> 20:59.512 and smooth out uh who the communication 20:59.512 --> 21:01.457 was for us to be able to execute . 21:01.457 --> 21:03.512 Everyone was hands on , everyone was 21:03.512 --> 21:05.869 hands on . Uh And we , we , we didn't 21:05.880 --> 21:09.300 sleep . Um My crew slept uh but uh 21:09.959 --> 21:11.848 we knew that we had to get to the 21:11.848 --> 21:13.959 answer of how do we get capability to 21:13.959 --> 21:15.848 help North Carolinians as soon as 21:15.848 --> 21:18.070 possible . And everyone up and down the 21:18.070 --> 21:19.903 chain chain of command was , was 21:19.903 --> 21:19.900 leaning into that problem .