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The Air Force had already spooled up to support the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver, B.C., the G-8 Summit in Toronto, Ont. and other ongoing domestic and international operations such as Operation Athena in Afghanistan.

Little did LGen Deschamps know that mere hours later, members of the Air Force would be called upon to support one of the largest airlift and humanitarian aid operations the Canadian Forces has seen in recent history. All three elements, Army, Navy and Air Force, have pulled together and put their collective training, experience and expertise into high gear, rapidly deploying and executing mission after mission that has impressed even the most seasoned CF leaders.

Gargantuan effort

The efforts of Air Force members, in particular, who carried out the first flights in and out of Haiti, have been nothing short of gargantuan with personnel working around the clock to ensure the people of Haiti got Canadian aid as quickly as possible.

Using the mighty CC-177 Globemaster III and its CC-130 Hercules from 8 Wing Trenton, Canada was “out the door” within hours of the catastrophe, delivering an advance party of the Disaster Assistance Response Team and a load of humanitarian supplies.

To hear their commanding officers describe it, personnel have been driven over the past 10 days by three things – a genuine desire to help, professionalism in being able to execute their missions effectively and efficiently and pride in what they do.

“Determined. That’s how I would describe my people,” says Major Aaron Spott, commanding officer of 2 Air Movements Squadron (2 AMS) at 8 Wing Trenton.

2 AMS has been at the forefront of Operation Hestia since day one - planning, calculating, building, loading and offloading the multitude of CF flights going in and out Haiti. Planning flights that involve loading and unloading millions of kilograms in cargo and hundreds of passengers is no easy feat, yet Maj Spott says it’s what his squadron does.

Twelve flights a day

“As a squadron CO I am immensely proud. I have never witnessed this level of operational tempo here [while having so many of our people] deployed at the same time. We are pulling off miracles and moving mountains, frequently processing upwards of 12 departures a day.”

Out of approximately 200 members of the squadron, more than 62 are deployed to places such as Afghanistan, Canadian Forces Station Alert and the Olympics while others are on mandatory training that cannot be cancelled.

“I briefed my folks that ‘this is one of those times in a unit’s history where a test comes up both at an individual and squadron level to see how committed, focused and devoted you are. This is one of those tests [that only happens] once every 20 years.’ ”

In Haiti, Air Force crews from search and rescue, air transport, maritime and tactical helicopter squadrons as well as a mobile radar squadron from across Canada are working around the clock, airlifting supplies and troops, flying upwards of 1,400 Canadian evacuees in and out of the country, while work continues to rescue, treat or retrieve survivors and casualties.

“It’s incredibly motivating. It really makes our job worth doing,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Iain Huddleston, commanding officer, 429 (Transport) Squadron, the squadron that has helped airlift more than 1,700 Canadians out of Haiti to date.

“This operation would never have been possible [with] this level of effort without the C-17.”

Injuries to children

One of the most challenging aspects of Op Hestia so far has been treating young children, says Master Warrant Officer Eric Larouche, the senior Air Force search and rescue technician in Haiti.

“You can imagine what a huge chunk of concrete can do a small three-year-old child or a woman walking on the street with her groceries so we are dealing with a lot of those kinds of injuries – major trauma and many, many broken bones.”

“We are also working to help the embassy process requests for help coming in from survivors on their cell phones or from relatives in Canada looking for their loved ones. We have two search and rescue technicians working in a hospital helping surgeons in the operating room while others are in the field. I have met so many survivors who are so thankful to us. It is really rewarding knowing that what we’re doing is helping people and removing their pain.”

The commanding officer of 424 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron, Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Dunne, is also immensely proud of the work MWO Laroche and the rest of his squadron are doing in Haiti.

“I’m thrilled to have my people be at the front end of this operation. The SAR techs and the SAR crews bring a new capability that will add a lot to the humanitarian effort, both in their medical and search and rescue skills.”