Just after midnight local time, the first American aircraft landed in Kerman, Iran, with 20 pallets of humanitarian aid destined for the earthquake-stricken residents of Bam. Five pallets laden with such medical supplies as intravenous fluids, bandages, gauze, and surgical equipment, plus food and purified water comprised the first load of American relief support. American airmen and Iranian soldiers worked side-by-side forming a human chain to unload the 20,000 pounds of badly needed material into waiting trucks. The supplies were then trucked into Bam a little more than 100 miles away. In addition to the humanitarian aid, the Peoria, Ill. Air National Guard C-130 carried aerial port operations and support agency experts to assess the operational and equipment needs for follow-on aircraft. The assessments are vital because the Air Force is loading C-5 and C-17 aircraft for follow-on relief flights.
The humanitarian mission was the first American flight into Iran since the Iranian hostage crisis ended in January 1981.
Photos of the mission are available on the U.S. Central Command website at CentCom. The photos are located in the "Galleries" tab at the top of the homepage. |