Air Force airmen and contractors from the 727th Air Mobility Squadron, loaded pallets of wet ice, testing kits and other personal protective equipment onto a 9th Airlift Squadron C-5 Super Galaxy to be delivered from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, to Acca, Ghana, to be distributed to COVID-19 hot spots in the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility.
''This vital equipment was purchased to help Ghana and the rest of the continent combat what's becoming known as the 'invisible enemy,''' said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kyle Murphy, the noncommissioned officer in charge of air terminal operations for the 727th Air Mobility Squadron. ''A lot of different organizations and countries had a hand in coordination to help this run smoothly, and it was great to see us coming together to tackle this pandemic.''
According to Murphy, this was the first mission of its kind to be performed by the 727th Air Mobility Squadron.
Whether that's moving aircraft parts to the flight line, household goods to the front door, or medical supplies to the front line, our team works hard to deliver.''
Air Force Maj. Thomas Reynolds, commander, 727th Air Mobility Squadron
''It's always a great opportunity to take on a new mission,'' he said. ''Now that we see the efficiency in which we were able to accomplish it, I believe it will remain an option the 727th AMS will be able to handle into the future.''
Another major component for mission success was logistics. Air Force Maj. Thomas Reynolds, the commander of the 727th Air Mobility Squadron, said the delivery would not have been possible without the help from the 100th Logistics Readiness Squadron, who provided fuel for the C-5, and especially Angela Day, a member of the 727th Air Mobility Squadron.
''Logistics is never easy, but thankfully we have teammates like Angela who make distribution situations look easy,'' Reynolds said. ''Her hard work and coordination with our talented partners across Team Mildenhall, Air Mobility Command and with the local [United Kingdom] supplier, made this move a reality.''
Every day, Air Mobility Command airmen live by the mantra ''We answer the call of others, so that they may prevail,'' Reynolds noted, adding that he believes this mission showed how the 727th Air Mobility Squadron is prepared to respond at any moment.
''The men and women of the 727th AMS are in the business of helping people through the execution of rapid global mobility,'' the major said. ''Whether that's moving aircraft parts to the flight line, household goods to the front door, or medical supplies to the front line, our team works hard to deliver.''
(Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Esau is assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing.)