Faces of hope

Alene, right, and her granddaughters, ages 9 and 6, travel from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Orlando, Fla., aboard a C-17 aircraft Jan. 22. The threesome joined 51 other passengers en route to the United States to reunite with extended family members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryan Magaña)

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Security escort

Senior Airman Joshua Osterbur, a Raven with the 62nd Security Forces Squadron at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., escorts a Haitian boy onboard an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft Jan. 22. The jet arrived in Haiti that afternoon with equipment and personnel from the 419th Fighter Wing’s 67th Aerial Port Squadron. It left that same night with 23 orphans headed to the United States to meet extended family members or new adoptive families. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryan Magaña)

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Multi-national effort

A military vehicle from Canada passes by a C-17 aircraft from March Air Reserve Base, Calif., on the ramp at Haiti’s Port-au-Prince airport Jan. 22. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kari Tilton)

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Flight prep

Lt. Col. Randon Draper, 621st Contingency Response Wing, carefully places foam plugs into the ears of an orphaned Haitian boy in preparation for his flight to the United States aboard an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft. Upon landing in Orlando, Fla., just after midnight Jan. 23, the boy and 22 other Haitian orphans met their new adoptive parents. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kari Tilton)

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Quiet moment

Lisa Buxman, a Heartline Ministries volunteer, spends her last few hours with a Haitian orphan onboard an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft headed to the United States Jan. 22. Ms. Buxman delivered the girl to her adoptive family when the jet touched ground in Orlando, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryan Magaña)

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Critical supplies

Workers unload food supplies at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 22. For the next 45 days, deployed reservists from the 419th Fighter Wing’s 67th Aerial Port Squadron will help ease the airport’s heavy traffic by establishing a local aerial port. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryan Magaña)

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Much-needed rest

After a long day, a Haitian girl, age 6, sleeps onboard an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft. The jet carried the girl and dozens of others to the United States Jan. 22. (U.S. Air Force photo/Bryan Magaña)

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Ready to fly

A two-year-old Haitian earthquake survivor settles into her seat aboard an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft traveling from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Orlando, Fla., Jan. 22. The girl was later reunited with extended family in the United States. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kari Tilton)

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On the ramp

A C-17 aircraft from March Air Reserve Base, Calif., sits on the ramp at Haiti’s Port-au-Prince airport Jan. 22, where it delivered 15 members of the 419th Fighter Wing’s 67th Aerial Port Squadron. Hill’s 67th APS reservists, all volunteers, will be deployed to Port-au-Prince for at least 45 days to help restore airfield operations and pave the way for increased humanitarian aid. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kari Tilton)

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Touch of kindness

Ginette Frye, 12, cradles an infant girl during a flight from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to Orlando, Fla., on an Air Force Reserve C-17 aircraft Jan. 22. Ginette was accompanied on the flight by her adoptive father, Doug Frye, and her sister, Jona. Mr. Frye and his wife were in the process of adopting the girls prior to the devastating earthquake there. The infant girl and her mother traveled to the U.S. to reunite with extended family. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Bryan Magaña)

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PHOTO ESSAY: The faces of hope

Published Jan. 25, 2010
By Public Affairs staff
419th Fighter Wing

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Fifteen members of the 419th Fighter Wing's 67th Aerial Port Squadron recently deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in support of the ongoing earthquake relief effort dubbed Operation Unified Response. The reserve Airmen, all volunteers, will be deployed at least 45 days and will help restore airfield operations to accommodate increased multi-national deliveries of much-needed relief supplies, including medical equipment, food and water.

Hill Air Force Base's reserve personnel can expect to work some extremely long hours in austere, hot conditions over the next several weeks. When asked why they volunteered for the deployment, the resounding response was "because we want to do anything we can to help the people of Haiti."

These photos, on the right, provide a glimpse into the scene at Haiti's Port-au-Prince airport and an up-close look at those to which the Airmen will bring both help and hope.

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Faces of hope

Security escort

Multi-national effort

Flight prep

Quiet moment

Critical supplies

Much-needed rest

Ready to fly

On the ramp

Touch of kindness