SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (11/05/17) — Six Airmen with the 178th Wing Force Support Squadron returned Nov. 5 from a deployment to Puerto Rico in support of the Hurricane Maria relief mission.
Airmen with the 178th Wing teamed up with 179th Airlift Wing personnel for a one-month deployment to Caguas, Puerto Rico. The Airmen manned a disaster relief mobile kitchen trailer (DRMKT) to provide meals to service members.
“Airmen used the extremely flexible DRMKT, which supports virtually any field feeding scenario, from quickly prepared boil-in-the-bag meals to restaurant-quality meals for up to 1,000 people in under 90 minutes,” said 1st Lt. Paul Stennett, 179th Airlift Wing public affairs officer.
The team of Airmen served thousands of meals to Soldiers from the South Carolina Army National Guard’s 59th Troop Command and the Puerto Rico ARNG’s 190th Engineer Battalion.
“We cooked about 9,400 meals,” said Master Sgt. Jason Hague, a member of the 178th Wing Force Support Squadron. Hague discussed his time in Puerto Rico with the 179th Airlift Wing personnel supporting hurricane relief efforts. “Despite the conditions, everyone’s morale was very high,” Hague said. “Both teams meshed perfectly.”
The Airmen camped out in a baseball stadium during their deployment. Despite no air conditioning, electricity or other amenities, they maintained positivity during the mission.
“The energy from the DRMKT team (was) a relief to the engineers who (were) out all day conducting missions” said Capt. Evan Howard, a member of the 179th Airlift Wing and the officer in charge of the team.
Upon his return home, Hague realized the gravity of the devastation in Puerto Rico, and reflected on his gratitude for his family and lifestyle.
“I have a deeper appreciation of the little things,” said Hague. |
