OUA 1964 - Page 13

 

 

 

Mercy missions are an inherent part of the ice cap mission which even the

pressure of the airlift could not ignore.  On 3 May when delivery operations

were at peak, one C-130 and air crew were pulled out of the airlift momen-

tarily to fly to Upenavik, Greenland.  Its task was to locate and orbit an

aircraft of the Royal Danish Air Force which had ditched with 13 passengers

aboard.  The distressed aircraft was located and orbited until an SA-16

arrived from Sondrestrom to land on the water and rescue the passengers.  And

again on 19 May another C-130 was diverted to airlift medical personnel to

Dye Site #4 for further airlift into the interior ice cap by helicopter to

attend to a 3 year old child who had been mangled by dogs.  The child was

successfully brought out and delivered to the hospital and even though the

saving Hercules lost #2 generator, the mission was completed successfully

with another aircraft.

 

 

 

          y.   The actual pounds of cargo moved during this airlift exceeded 6.2

millions.  Weight of the bladder containers accounted for about 1.5 million

pounds to yield a net pay load of 4.7 millions.  Over 3 millions of this were

moved by three crews alone who were subsequently recommended for award of the

Air Medal.  Other aircrews, in varying degree accounted for the balance of

the cargo airlifted.  I consider this a magnificent demonstration of profes-

sional airmanship and in the total history of the ice cap operation stands

without parallel.  When the day's flying was done, the flight crews were

rarely off the line earlier than 2000 hours readying their aircraft for the

next day's ordeal.  In this they worked shoulder to shoulder with the de-

dicated maintenance technicians positioned at Sondrestrom to support them.

Some of these maintenance technicians too, have been recommended for the

award of appropriate United States military decorations.  From start to

finish, the 1964 POL airlift functioned with the flawless ease of a well-

oiled piece of machinery - oiled with the sweat and dedication of the men

of the 17th Squadron.  Meanwhile the remaining resources of the squadron,

by this time about equally split between Dyess and Elmendorf, had been far

from idle.  On 8 May 1964, five aircrews of the 17th joined an equal number

from the 18th Troop Carrier Squadron at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee,

to man ten C-130A's of the 317th Troop Carrier Wing newly arrived at

Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, from Evreux, France.  Its own shortage of

personnel necessitated this "borrowing" of other aircrews to support a mis-

sion levied upon it.  This mission was launched from Fort Benning, Georgia;

forty-one formation and corridor sorties were scheduled and thirty-nine were

flown,.  The success of this mission was a glorious tribute to the flexibility

of the men of the 17th Squadron.  Integrated crews who hardly knew each

other's names, flew nine ship formations to drop army elements and to make

timed landings on assault strips without accident, incident or mishap.

 

 

 

          z.  At the same time, tempo of operations in Alaska was gaining momen-

tum.  The aircrews already in place at Elmendorf were busily engaged in

becoming familiar with the various radar sites and their approach proce-

dures.  Each site was being individually inspected by a C-130 instructor

pilot in survey flights conducted by the 5017th Operations Group.  Follow-

ing this, a trial run was made by an instructor pilot in a C-130 into each

of the sites.  This procedure provided expertise in checking-out subsequently

arriving aircrews as they completed their individual transfers from Dyess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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