California brings eastern states
A Breath of Fresh Air
"We thought it was the right thing to do, but I also want you to know it was the responsible thing to do as American citizens, from a moral and ethical imperative, to save lives."
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – From across the state they converged on Sacramento early in the morning of April 8. A massive, bulky C-130J, Super Hercules sat along-side a HC-130J Combat King II -- aircraft from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing and the 129th Rescue Wing loaded up their precious cargo, completed their pre-flight checks and taxied down the runway at Mather Airport destined for points east.
Under the direction of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the flights were each loaded with 200 ventilators from the California Emergency Medical Service Authority’s (CalEMSA) stockpile - one aircraft landed at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, transferring the ventilators for distribution around New York and New Jersey. The other touched down at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, delivering its cargo to representatives of the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Airmen from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard in Oxnard, CA, deliver 200 ventilators to members of the 105th AW, April 7, 2020, at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, NY. The use of the C-130J Super Hercules, along with the NY Army National Guard, facilitated the shipment of medical equipment, which will support the ongoing COVID-19 medical treatments being conducted in the New York and New Jersey areas (U.S. Air Force Photo by SrA Jonathan Lane/Released).
Airmen from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard in Oxnard, CA, deliver 200 ventilators to members of the 105th AW, April 7, 2020, at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, NY. The use of the C-130J Super Hercules, along with the NY Army National Guard, facilitated the shipment of medical equipment, which will support the ongoing COVID-19 medical treatments being conducted in the New York and New Jersey areas (U.S. Air Force Photo by SrA Jonathan Lane/Released).
“In times of crisis, it’s more important than ever we are the UNITED States of America,” said Newsom. “California is answering the call for Americans in New York and across the country, loaning 500 state-owned ventilators to those in need. I know, if the tables were turned, other states would be there for us.”
But before those aircraft could take to the sky, individuals from CalEMSA, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), and the California National Guard had to work around-the-clock to box, check, package and move the 500 palletized ventilators promised by Newsom.
“Earlier this afternoon (April 7) we were given a mission to make ready 500 ventilators and all of their ancillary equipment that goes with them to put on a plane tomorrow morning,” explained Mark Ackerman, senior logistics advisor, California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Ackerman said the sheer numbers meant personnel from other agencies were required to assist in the packaging, and he reached out to other locations to get the number of correctly sized pallets needed to load onto the aircrafts. Ackerman specifically said his office didn’t have enough 463L pallets.
The 463L pallet is the centerpiece of the Materials Handling Support System 463L, designed in the late 1950’s to provide more efficient intermodal cargo transfer for the United States Air Force. Today the 463L Master Pallet is a common size platform for bundling and moving air cargo, and it serves as the primary air cargo pallet for the USAF, other air forces, and many civilian cargo transport aircraft worldwide.
“We’ve been working around-the-clock to meet this mission,” Ackerman said. “But we are rapidly getting to the 500th unit ready to go and they will be on the aircrafts, on time.”
U.S. Air Force Capt. Thomas Fitzgerald from the Cal Guard’s Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing, was one of the many Soldiers and Airmen working to meet the mission. While tired from the long hours of work, Fitzgerald said he was proud of his team members and the all hands on deck approach. More importantly, he was struck by the important nature of the operation.
“California is stepping up to help our fellow Americans in New York and across the country who are being impacted the hardest right now by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“While we’re able to be safe and practice social distancing, we need to provide these critical resources to help those that are potentially impacted by this crisis,” said Fitzgerald.
From the warehouse, to the airfield, to their final destination, Ackerman said he couldn’t be prouder of the team that came together to get this job done.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 9, 2020
“These are the moments where everybody is working for the common good of the nation,” he said. “It chokes me up a little bit … everybody here is going to get this ball over the line.”
In addition to deliveries to New York and Illinois, California is also shipping 100 ventilators to Nevada.
U.S. Army National Guard Pvt. Donavan Findley, 2632nd Transportation Company, carries a box of ventilators to a transport vehicle at the Emergency Medical Services Authority Apr. 08, 2020 in Sacramento, Calif. The ventilators are being transferred to be utilized in COVID-19 hotspots across the country. In addition, Cal Guard units are providing humanitarian support at medical and food bank facilities across California. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Forest Decker)
U.S. Army National Guard Pvt. Donavan Findley, 2632nd Transportation Company, carries a box of ventilators to a transport vehicle at the Emergency Medical Services Authority Apr. 08, 2020 in Sacramento, Calif. The ventilators are being transferred to be utilized in COVID-19 hotspots across the country. In addition, Cal Guard units are providing humanitarian support at medical and food bank facilities across California. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Forest Decker)
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Casey Riddle,184th Engineer Detachment, ensure a pallet has enough clearance at the Emergency Medical Services Authority Apr. 08, 2020 in Sacramento, Calif. The ventilators are being transferred to be utilized in COVID-19 hotspots across the country. In addition, Cal Guard units are providing humanitarian support at medical and food bank facilities across California. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Forest Decker)
U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Casey Riddle,184th Engineer Detachment, ensure a pallet has enough clearance at the Emergency Medical Services Authority Apr. 08, 2020 in Sacramento, Calif. The ventilators are being transferred to be utilized in COVID-19 hotspots across the country. In addition, Cal Guard units are providing humanitarian support at medical and food bank facilities across California. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Forest Decker)
B-roll footage of an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft assigned with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, loading, transporting and delivering ventilators to Springfiled, IIllinois, April 7, 2020. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Master Sgt. Ray Aquino)
B-roll footage of an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft assigned with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, loading, transporting and delivering ventilators to Springfiled, IIllinois, April 7, 2020. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Master Sgt. Ray Aquino)
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