Guam’s HC-5 aids tsunami relief

By Lt. Jerome Gussow and Lt. Todd Pike

There have been many tales surrounding the heroic efforts made by the many people and countries helping those whose lives have been devastated by the recent tsunami in Asia. One such unit that has been heavily involved with the relief effort is Guam’s own Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five.

HC-5 currently has three detachments working with the tsunami relief effort. One of these detachments is deployed on board the USNS Concord (T-AFS 5), a supply ship forward deployed to Guam, and while this is their story, it is one mirrored by dozens of helicopter units in the area.

When the USNS Concord first arrived in the tsunami area, the job of the HC-5 personnel on board was to move goods and supplies from the Concord to other ships in the battle groups destined for Indonesia. The next day, the ship, the helicopters and the crew were tasked in a direct support role of Operation Unified Assistance.

On a typical day, the aircrew starts preparing at 6:30am by briefing for the mission of the day. The maintenance personnel inspect and service the helicopters for the day ahead. HC-5 launches two helicopters at 8am and heads to shore, making several stops at other ships along the way to pick up other sailors who would assist.

The aircrew flies into Banda Aceh Airport and lands in a soccer field next to the runway, which serves as the staging area for U.S. forces. An adjacent field is used by international forces. The U.S. area has Navy “helo-coordinators” with hand-held radios that direct the pilots to a landing spot.

Upon landing, the coordinators ask how much cargo and how many passengers—such as aid workers and medical personnel—the helicopter could take. The ground crew then loads the helicopter while the rotors are still turning.

“The ground crew did an amazing job. …They worked throughout the day, hour after hour, huffing bags of rice and crates of water to the [helicopters], through rain, mud and the heat of the afternoon. Great job to those men and women of the U.S. Navy,” said Lt. Todd Pike, a pilot with HC-5.

Once the helicopters are loaded, the coordinators would tell the crew the location of the landing zone where the supplies or personnel are to be taken. Several LZ’s were over 100 miles away. Since helicopters were loaded down with as much as 5,500 lbs of passengers, food and water, the helicopters burn their fuel at a much faster rate. There are several U.S. ships that stand by at an average of 15 miles offshore to serve as crucial fuel stops for the helicopters on their return trip from the LZ’s.

“This is where the U.S. Navy team really shined,” Pike said. “U.S. surface vessels were excellent resources for us and chose to not only fulfill their mission as fueling platforms, but did it with such pride and professionalism that their zeal was contagious, and they did it with 110 degree heat, standing on a metal ship.”

Upon arriving at the LZ, the aircrew would have to decide where, how, and exactly when to land. Crew resource management and risk management were paramount as the helicopters would touch down in areas such as cow pastures, soccer fields, roads, intersections, in brush, country dirt roads, between rice paddies, and often were forced to maintain a low hover to off-load supplies where landing was not possible.

After landing, the biggest challenge was keeping the civilian population, many of whom had never seen a helicopter, away from the aircraft. If they got too close in the wrong area, they could easily be injured or killed by the turning blades. Crewmen would immediately exit the aircraft and work crowd control while other crewmen would work to start unloading supplies. It was not unusual to see crowds of 50 or more people, however, even with crowd control attempts. The crewmen were usually lost in a rush of bodies as the local population grabbed and sometimes fought over the food, water and medical supplies.

Clearing the field for departure was another challenge, since most civilians did not truly understand the effect that 23,000 lbs. of thrust might have on a person standing too close to a departing helicopter. This was complicated by language barriers, since few understood English, or even gestures common in the U.S.

“Often the people mimick our movements more than adhering to our attempts to ‘shoo them away.’ But on every liftoff you could see the appreciation and thanks in their eyes for the help,” Pike said.

After completing a drop, the crews would head back to Banda Aceh and repeat the process until dark. At approximately 6pm, the staging area starts to close for the day. The helicopters would then return the sailors, who worked all day loading aircraft, back to their ships. After dropping off the last of their passengers, the two helicopters would return back to the USNS Concord at around 8:30 pm. HC-5 maintenance personnel on board Concord would then start the lengthy process of servicing and preparing the helicopter for the same process again the next day.

“It’s easy to give 110 percent when everyone around you is giving the same. I am just proud to be part of the team,” Pike said.