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Peace museum shows military unit's humanitarian missions

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Charlie Miller
  • 445 Airlift Wing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Seeing a military exhibit at a peace museum might seem out of place, even frightening to some people. But that's not the case at the Dayton (Ohio) International Peace Museum.

Until the end of September the museum will feature a display highlighting the humanitarian work of Air Force Reserve Command's 445th Airlift Wing from Wright-Patterson AFB. And it looks like the exhibit, "Flights for Peace," is a perfect fit.

"I'm pleased to have the display so we can try and dispel the fallacy that peace and the military don't go together," said Steve Fryburg, the museum's director and operations manager.

"That's the whole reason for the display," he said. "The military can be used as a tool of construction. Our strength as a country is together, not a fractured community. So, yes, the display is a good fit."

The 445th AW, which is within the Dayton metro area, has a rich history of providing humanitarian relief during peacetime and war. The wing has transported thousands of tons of relief aid in the United States and around the world to areas devastated by natural disaster as well as transporting wounded from combat areas and civilians to safety.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, 445th AW aircrews delivered critically needed medical supplies, food and clothing to New Orleans and Mississippi. They also flew doctors, nurses, medical technicians, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees and others to the storm-ravaged region.

Part of the wing exhibit shows reservists helping people after Hurricanes Rita, Mitch and Katrina. Another part shows the airlift of wounded military people and civilians out of Iraq. Other photos show military medical professionals providing humanitarian relief in a remote part of Guatemala and at work at American Indian reservations.

"Operation Deep Freeze" is an ongoing mission for the Regular Air Force and Air Force Reserve to transport supplies to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Crews from the 445th AW have flown there numerous times delivering instruments, food and supplies to the scientists in the South Pole.

Bill McIntire, the public relations director at the peace museum, wanted to bring the military to the museum.

"I felt that the military often is portrayed negatively in the media and I wanted to bring to light all the good the military does for civilians and servicemen," he said.

Mr. McIntire noted that the 60th anniversary of the Air Force, coupled with having the 445th AW in the community, was part of the reason for including the Air Force Reserve unit.

"The 445th has airlifted doctors and supplies to Sub-Saharan Africa, flown civilians from combat zones and much more," Mr. McIntire said.

"The Peace Museum believes that these types of missions are critical in fighting the War on Terror," he said. "The humanitarian missions don't just demonstrate the compassion of the American people and the U.S. military but they show with their outcomes that they are more powerful than any weapon the enemy has."

This is a direct way to show the world that Americans care for their well-being and to negate the influence of terrorists and insurgent groups, Mr. McIntire said.

Mr. Fryburg and Mr. McIntire hope members of the 445th AW and other military units come to the museum, as well as area residents.

"Many of the 445th personnel live in the Dayton area, and their accomplishments, through the exhibit, will demonstrate to Dayton residents that they, too, can work to change the world in a positive and peaceful way," Mr. McIntire said.

"Here at the museum we are pro-peace. We want a peaceful future," Mr. Fryburg said. "The military can act as a vehicle for diplomacy."

The 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron provided a "patient," a full-size mannequin on a litter, along with a number of medical monitoring instruments used during an actual medical airlift of wounded from a combat zone or a natural disaster area. The squadron has airborne flight surgeons, nurses and emergency medical technicians who stabilize and attend to the wounded and sick during a flight.

This military exhibit is a first for the peace museum. It recently conducted a clothes drive for Afghans, spearheaded by an Army lieutenant serving in Afghanistan who had Dayton contacts, but that was about the extent of the museum's connections with the military. That is, until now.

The 445th AW exhibit is set to run until the end of September. Admission to the museum is free, and all staff members are volunteers. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)