SOTO CANO, Honduras -- Reservists from the 315th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, S.C., delivered more than 124,000 pounds of humanitarian aid to Haiti, Panama and Honduras Feb. 1-2.
The missions involved two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from the 701st and 300th Airlift Squadrons, which delivered humanitarian aid, medical and school supplies, rice and water to the different countries.
"It is very rewarding to get to do these missions," said Maj. Ronnie Schier, the operations officer and pilot from the 701st AS. "It is a good feeling to be able to bring these supplies to people who really need it."
Missions like these are made possible by the Denton Amendment, a state department/U.S. aid program that allows the delivery of donated humanitarian aid on Air Force assets, on a space available basis.
"This mission was a good representation of the C-17 and what it can do," said Capt. Jared Wagner, a reserve pilot. "Missions like these are a good representation of what we do as Americans -- we help people who need it."
The missions were also training missions for the numerous reserve aircrew members on the two jets.
"There are numerous evaluations happening on these flights," Schier said. "Off-station training missions like these are invaluable for traditional reservists. These missions can be challenging with the mountainous terrain, language barriers and any other issue that come up. These training missions keep our reservists ready, and if we can help people while staying current, that is a plus."
