COMMENTARY>>Helping out one plane at a time

By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief

Recently I, like many of you, was overcome with emotion due to the immeasurable plight placed upon the people of Haiti after the earthquake. I then connected with a great group of combat airlifters and embarked on a mission to deliver much-needed personnel and equipment to the tropical island.

Our crew consisted of Capt. Sean Callahan and 1st Lt. Kevin Bailey, pilot and co-pilot respectively. Master Sgt. Patrick Drozd and Tech. Sgt. Elvis Hendricks performed loadmaster duties.

Maintenance aspects of our mission were left in the hands of Staff Sgt. Jordan Cote and Senior Airman Travis Donaway. The first thing I noticed about our team was that they were anxious to complete our assigned mission.

Immediately I became aware of the focus and dedication these professionals had toward this opportunity to assist others. From the mission planning, preparing the aircraft for departure, and loading of equipment and personnel from Fort Bragg, this crew operated as a seamless team. There was an unspoken anxiousness to complete what was started.

The anxiousness was not based on when we would get back to Little Rock; it was more on not being able to get to Haiti soon enough. I did not travel as the command chief nor did the crew travel primarily by their titles. We all traveled as human beings and as Airmen. Each person pulled their weight and then some, and it made me feel humbled to be a part of an exceptional organization.

Eventually, I had to come back to The Rock to tend to matters on this end, but I will tell you it was difficult to leave my crew.

The crew I was with was not special; they did what many others are doing today, representing our nation. Even as I type this, crews from Team Little Rock are going into challenging places, bringing hope and relief to people around the world -- one plane at a time.

Combat Airlift!