GA ANG Company H stands ready to serve Published Sept. 12, 2008 By Holly Birchfield 78 ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- The Georgia Army National Guard's Company H 171st Aviation Regiment offers help just in time. The company, which moved from Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga., and stood up at Robins on Aug. 5, is charged with moving time-sensitive, mission-critical cargo immediately. Most recently, the company has focused its attention on the ever-changing hurricane situation. Capt. Barry Simmons, commander, Company H 171st AVN REGT, likened the company's mission to a well-known delivery company. "One way to describe this company is that we're like the FedEx of the Army," he said. "The Air Force will bring in cargo long distance to a centralized location and we take that time-sensitive, mission-essential cargo and deliver it that last tactical mile directly to units that need that support. We overnight that material to the different forward operating bases." Captain Simmons said his unit's presence is equally important to the everyday transport of supplies as it is when emergencies arise. "Our continental U.S. mission is the transport of staff and cargo," he said. "We support parts movement and personnel movement. One of the great contingency operations for us is disaster relief in support of homeland defense. One obvious mission for that is support of hurricane relief. In premission support, we move people out of affected areas and then after the landfall of the storm, we bring equipment and personnel in to begin recovery." Company H's quick response skills proved their value as hurricanes recently began churning in the Atlantic Ocean, bringing threatening weather conditions to a number of areas. Captain Simmons said during Hurricane Gustav, Company H's 19 crew members "moved patients from hospitals and nursing homes in coastal areas farther inland. We'd take people out of the affected area and we'd bring supplies in, and we have been on standby as well for these storms." The captain said the unit currently remains on a standby status waiting to see what other storms like Ike and Josephine will bring. Chief Warrant Officer Douglas Gahring, an operations officer in Company H, said the unit acts more like an active-duty unit than a traditional Guard unit, and when help is needed, the unit is right on time. Officer Gahring said state cooperative agreements govern that Georgia assets such as Guard units can be available for assistance for other states during natural disasters and other such situations upon request. Responding to natural disasters is only part of Company H's mission. Staff Sgt. Thomas Trigg, Company H's NCO in charge, said the unit also supports ongoing operations both stateside and abroad. "We have enough personnel for three to four crews for one airplane, so we don't all do the same mission at the same time," he said. "In addition to the hurricane mission, we also support a giant platform for special operations and do air deliveries of personnel and supplies also. If we don't have an airfield for delivery, we can do airdrops to resupply an area by air delivery." Captain Simmons said every day is different for the unit. "We receive a mission every day," he said. "They'll cut a flight advisory for us and then we wait to hear what mission we have and load up and go fly it." Company H, which is headquartered by the Georgia ANG, has detachments spread among four states, including Georgia, Florida, Texas and Kentucky. The unit has eight airframes to accomplish its mission. Company H will be fielding the very first joint cargo airplane in any military service branch, the C-27J, which will come to Robins around March 2009. Captain Simmons said his company came to Robins for its size and level of support. "Company H is a very small organization, but it's supported by the team work concept," he said. "We have our headquarters in Atlanta that supports us with staff functions. Higher headquarters is the 78th Aviation Troop Command whose commander is Col. Brent Bracewell." Captain Simmons said the Army and Air Force work well together. "We talk about working in a joint environment a lot," he said. "When the Air Force and the Army team up to do things, we're not green, we're not blue, we're purple." In working purple, Captain Simmons said everyone supports everyone else. Now, Robins has become one more source of support for Company H and the unit's new home. "Robins Air Force Base approaches the joint environment concept the right way," he said. "It should be an example for others to follow."