MANSFIELD – Airmen from Mansfield’s 179th Airlift Wing and Springfield’s 178th Wing departed Mansfield on Wednesday to respond to relief efforts needed in Puerto Rico.
Approximately 20 Airmen from both Ohio Air National Guard units boarded one of Mansfield’s C-130H Hercules aircrafts loaded with a Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer (DRMKT). Their primary mission will be providing meals for the first responders currently on the ground in Puerto Rico.
“As we’ve all seen on the news, Puerto Rico is in bad shape,” said Capt. Evan Howard, a native of Dayton. “The facts are they need help, and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to provide that help. As long as they need us, we’ll be there.”
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm that hit the island on Sept. 20. The hurricane caused “apocalyptic” damage in Puerto Rico, wiping out electricity, water and cell networks for most of the island.
Using the DRMKT, the 179th and 178th Airmen will serve pre-packaged meals for breakfast and dinner to the first responders currently on the ground. A typical meal might include scrambled eggs with potatoes or pancakes for breakfast, and a spaghetti meal with bread and juice for dinner.
According to Senior Master Sgt. Garth Eldridge, the DRMKT is equipped to serve up to 1,000 people in a short amount of time.
“As long as we have the fuel and water we need, we can have a meal up and running within 90 minutes,” said Eldridge, a Mansfield native.
The DRMKT is a free-standing mobile kitchen that is rapidly deployable. It easily stores in the cargo area of a C-130 aircraft, is built to be pulled by a standard heavy-duty pickup truck, and is designed for fast setup and shutdown.
Providing a hot meal to the first responders in Puerto Rico is a key logistical component of the mission, and a needed morale boost.
“It builds morale and it gives them the energy to do their task,” Eldridge said. “I know they’ve got a very difficult task at hand and we’re there to support them and keep their spirits up.”
The Airmen deploying on Wednesday will first travel to Florida before heading down to Puerto Rico. The mission is expected to last approximately 45 days, where troops will likely be sleeping in tents amidst a hot and humid environment.
According to Howard, the 179th first got the call to help at 9 p.m. on Friday evening, a team was gathered between the 179th and the 178th by midday Saturday, and by end of the day Sunday the troops had their report times.
“My mission in life is to help people, and it takes a certain individual to do what we do,” Howard said. “Just to overturn your life and get ready for a mission you had no knowledge of in 72 hours speaks volumes of the troops that we have.”
