AFRC C-17A supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts

Airmen from the 72nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, aerial port section, push palletized cargo is to the tail of C-17A Globemaster III of the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Air Force Reserve Command, as members of the 35th Combat Communciations Squadron and their equipment deploy from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to Florida as part of the Air Force's Hurricane Irma response and recovery operations to provide humanitarian relief Sept. 13, 2017. The eight Citizen Airmen from the 35th CBCS deployed servers, radio equipment, power generation and other tools to connect to Department of Defense networks, voice communications and the internet. The 35th CBCS is part of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

AFRC C-17A supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts

Palletized cargo is moved in to position behind the tail of C-17A Globemaster III of the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Air Force Reserve Command, as members of the 35th Combat Communciations Squadron and their equipment deploy from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to Florida as part of the Air Force's Hurricane Irma response and recovery operations to provide humanitarian relief Sept. 13, 2017. The eight Citizen Airmen from the 35th CBCS deployed servers, radio equipment, power generation and other tools to connect to Department of Defense networks, voice communications and the internet. The 35th CBCS is part of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

AFRC C-17A supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts

A C-17A Globemaster III from the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Air Force Reserve Command, moves in front of the iconic skyline of downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after loading equipment and members of the 35th Combat Communciations Squadron Sept. 13, 2017, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The 35th CBCS is deploying to Florida as part of the Air Force's Hurricane Irma response and recovery operations to provide humanitarian relief. The eight Citizen Airmen from the 35th CBCS deployed servers, radio equipment, power generation and other tools to connect to Department of Defense networks, voice communications and the internet. The 35th CBCS is part of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

AFRC C-17A supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts

A C-17A Globemaster III from the 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Air Force Reserve Command, rolls down the runway for take-off Sept. 13, 2017, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Onboard the aircraft are eight Citizen Airmen from the 35th Combat Communications Squadron and their equipment which are being deployed to Florida as part of the Air Force's Hurricane Irma response and recovery operations. The 35th CBCS deployed servers, radio equipment, power generation and other tools to connect to Department of Defense networks, voice communications and the internet. The 35th CBCS is part of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

AFRC C-17A supports Hurricane Irma relief efforts

Tinker Reserve Airmen deploy to aid Florida recovery

Published Sept. 14, 2017
By John Parker
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Eight Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 35th Combat Communications Squadron departed Sep. 13, to support disaster relief efforts at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida. They will provide military commanders and government agencies communications systems in the wake of Hurricane Irma there.

The more than 90-member Air Force Reserve squadron specializes in establishing independent communication capabilities for the military and humanitarian and disaster-relief missions worldwide. Although the 35th CBCS is physically located at Tinker, the unit falls under the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and is one of three Reserve combat communications squadrons deploying in support of relief efforts.

A C-17 Globemaster III, a large transport aircraft, with 32,944 pounds of cargo and supplies on five oversized pallets carried the squadron to Florida.

Air Force Reserve Command has dispatched personnel and supplies to Homestead to help in recovery efforts on and off base, and all three Reserve special mission units have been called to action,the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 302nd Airlift Wing, and the 910th Airlift Wing.

“Whether it’s supporting combatant commanders or a humanitarian mission, this is what we do,” said Lt. Col. Monte Buchanan, commander of the 35th CBCS. “We provide communications where there is no communications. If we can see the sky, we can get it hooked up.”

Homestead, on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula near Miami, was pummeled by winds of at least 40 mph Monday as Irma moved northward across the state. Although downgraded to a tropical storm, the system was still capable of damaging winds and flooding rains.

The Florida base is home to AFRC’s 482nd Fighter Wing. The combat-ready wing flies F-16C Fighting Falcons and employs more than 2,500 personnel.

The squadron is no stranger to Homestead. About 30 members participated in annual training there in June with other communications units, where leadership brought up the topic of the squadron potentially providing aid after a hurricane, according to Buchanan.

“They started those discussions and we had our information gathering down there about what they would need in the event of a hurricane,” he said. “So we had a good idea of what they needed as we’re preparing to go back now.”

The Air Force Reserve is comprised of nearly 70,000 Reserve Citizen Airmen and will continue to innovate new ways in vital areas of defense to protect the United States.

The 507th Air Refueling Wing administratively supports the 35th CBCS. Squadron members can be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world to set up, from scratch, a Theater Air Base to include: satellite communications, telephone switching bands and base computer networks. They can perform setup, operation and maintenance of voice and data communications systems essential to wing operations, including radio, telephones, teletype, and computer systems. (Tech. Sgt. Lauren Gleason, 507th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs contributed to this report)