MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. -- It was originally planned as a routine airlift mission. But a Total Force aircrew ended up carrying precious cargo on a C-17 Globemaster III to Tripoli, Libya earlier this week.
The seven-man crew, made up of six Reservists and an active-duty pilot, were given the task of transporting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the State Department mission.
"It's an honor to transport someone like that," said Lt. Col. Scott Ryan, 97th Airlift Squadron instructor pilot. "What makes it better is when you're doing it to help foster a relationship with the new transitional government in Libya."
Clinton visited Libya to pledge millions of dollars in new aid, to include, medical care for wounded fighters and additional assistance to secure weaponry.
"Originally, we were tasked with a different mission," said Ryan, a Seattle resident. "The mission changed Friday and we found out we would be transporting (Hillary Clinton) when we got our briefing Sunday."
The crew stopped briefly at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to pick up supplies before the C-17 embarked to pick up the secretary earlier this week and arrived here Oct. 20.
According to Ryan, this is the first time a C-17 has landed in Libya since Operation Unified Protector began.
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)