HS-14 Wraps Up Operation Tomodachi Support, Looks Forward to Deployment
Navy News Service
Story Number: NNS110405-04
4/5/2011
By By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jose Lopez, Naval Air Facility Misawa Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR FACILITY MISAWA, Japan (NNS) -- Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 14 personnel and aircraft returned to Naval Air Facility Atsugi (NAFA), April 4, 2011, after spending three weeks repositioned at Naval Air Facility Misawa (NAFM).
Over the past three weeks, HS-14 has flown SH-60 Seahawk helicopters to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in support of Operation Tomodachi. Japan was hit by 9.0-magnitude earthquake, which triggered a tsunami that devastated the country's eastern coastline, March 11, 2011.
"The majority of our missions consisted of flying in necessities, like drinking water and general medical supplies," said Chief Naval Air Crewmen Brad Carlton, attached to HS-14 and a native of Hickman, Ky. "The best part was seeing the genuine relief on the faces of the people."
HS-14 began flying missions on March 12, 2011 from NAFA, their home station. The squadron received orders March 16, which re-positioned them to NAFM in support of relief operations. By March 18, the entire squadron was actively flying from the northeastern-Japan naval facility.
As operations reduced and conditions began to return to a state of normalcy, the squadron was ordered to return to Atsugi. More than 240 squadron personnel will return to NAFA and continue their original mission, and also prepare for upcoming deployments.
HS-14 maintenance and support crews boarded a C-9 Skytrain and made the journey back to Atsugi. The remaining flight crews will perform final phase checks on the helicopters and make their way back home as well.
"We go out and get the job done," said Carlton. "This is what we do."
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