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November 4, 2005
Stead Guard helps out Pakistani people victimized by devastating earthquake
"Right here in the middle of the war, we shifted gears in 12 hours and sent helicopters to Pakistan," said Maj. Roger Capps, 36, Company Commander of the 113th Co. D, and resident of Reno. "I wanted to go but they wouldn't let me," Capps said. The Co. D 113th, an aviation unit that flies CH-47 Chinook helicopters, was activated for a federal mission and arrived at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan in March. More than 200 soldiers serve in the 113th, which is based in Stead. About half the soldiers are from Nevada, the other half from Oregon, with a few from Washington State. "This was a blending of the National Guard mission with our go to war mission," said Major Capps. "This is what we do back home, but I never thought we'd be (in Pakistan)." Staff Sgt. Trini Cortez, 33, from Milton-Freewater, Ore., spent two weeks in Pakistan. "We'd go out in the morning and take supplies," he said. "On the way back, we'd picked up casualties and take them back to Islamabad." Cortez, a flight engineer, assists the pilots and checks systems on the CH-47. "We took up to 40 to 60 people a load," he said. Cortez said he saw many dirt mounds where mass burials occurred, as well as a few makeshift coffins. When transporting the injured, one family member was allowed to accompany that person. The 113th did not transport any of the dead. "All over the mountains houses were destroyed," he said. "You'd be flying around and see a circle with an H for help." Many of the areas that needed help were too small for even a helicopter to land. The CH-47 would do a 10-foot hover and hand out tents, 50-pound bags of food and medical supplies. "Your heart went out to those people," said Cortez. "There was devastation everywhere. We wanted to stop at every house." The 113th still has CH-47 crews operating in Pakistan, delivering aid. |
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