Daily Kos: MOBILITY was my middle name -- Air Force Vet livid

[GettysbergII]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/4/191342/6561

From: Name removed
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 6:17 AM
Subject: Keesler AFB Runways Open - But No Airlift???

Dear Tax-Paying Veterans--

For 25 years, I was of the belief that my USAF uniform was worn for the people who were paying me - Mr and Mrs American taxpayer.

Just as you did, I watched in horror, day after day, the tax-paying citizens of New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport and communities in between, begging for any help they could get. BEGGING FOR THEIR LIVES.

Keesler AFB was in Katrina's bullseye, taking a major hit - EXCEPT FOR THE RUNWAY. Check out the Keesler report below.

SHOCK and AWE describes me now. I am in total SHOCK over how our Gulf Coast neighbors - TAX-PAYERS who pay for our military forces -- were left to suffer and die, day after day. What happened to MOBILITY???? What happened to HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFT????

Then there's AWE - as in "awe shit" after I received the Keesler AFB damage report from a group of former USAF radar operators and ground controllers. I went to tech school at Keesler in 1972 at the height of the Cambodian bombing raids, to be trained to tell fighter pilots where to go in the war zone.

But the "awe-shit" reaction was not because of flashbacks to that other war. It was in knowing that RESCUE and MOBILITY and HUMANITARIAN AIRLIFT into and out of Keesler AFB was possible before and after Katrina. These assets could have been staged somewhere nearby, gee - like at Scott AFB in Illinois - HEADQUARTERS FOR THE USAF'S AIR MOBILITY COMMAND - and then flown in to Keesler. There could have been a MASS EVAC out of Keesler after the 'cane. The Air Force practices these every day, all over the world.

[linazelle]

1. Dr. Mary Frances Berry said on Bill Maher's show that she

was in Vietnam and has witnessed multiple airlift capability by our military yet we saw people being lifted one by one in baskets. Sickening.

[Corgigal]

2. This Air Force Vet was livid too

and we called around about that issue. Again I post what we did but I'm telling you we send all the info to CNN with names and dates. I never saw one damn thing about it and they asked for the flipping info. Email send to some of the media is below:


I just wanted to take a moment and tell you what this one little house did before Katrina hit. It was last Sunday and I was meeting some friends at the local cinema to see March Of The Penguins. I was ranting to my husband, a retired law enforcement officer from a southern state, how I know we could be doing some military humanitarian airlifts. Take out the disabled people, ill people, tourist and how it wouldn't take that many C-130's either. I was a USAF member and worked in Air Traffic Control. I believe I have some experience on how many aircraft are available in this country.

While I took the kids to the movies, my husband called the Mayors office in New Orleans. He actually got through and talked to a person who asked him to called an Emergency Operations center. They gave him the number and he called. Again, he got an actual human who told him that he didn't know why they weren't doing that but maybe they fear a run on the airport. They asked him to call FEMA in Washington. He called and again he got someone who told him, Well we just don't have enough planes to do that. My husband asked him if they even thought about a military airlift and was told, well yeah, but again not enough planes.

My husband by the way, takes good notes and then called CNN and asked if they knew this information. Again a person asked for all his information, then asked him to either fax or e-mail the names and times he spoke with them. They couldn't believe FEMA's response either.

I'm not sure if anyone will look into this but I wanted to let you know that our "regular" middle class American home was alarmed that nothing was being done. We still had to try and we did get answers. Of course , looking at the state of the currents events, proves that the answers given on the eve of Katrina was we really don't give a damn. Not one bit.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Wow, what an interesting post.

I wish you and your husband were running FEMA. I think maybe we would have seen a lot more competency, a lot sooner.

Knowing GW Bush is making personnel decisions on hiring means we are getting people who reflect GW Bush; people who know how to say 'you're right sir' when they should be saying 'you're wrong' or just ignore him completely and just do the right thing.

As long as this man is running the show, we will have more failures to deal with.

[DELUSIONAL]

4. Navy brat here -- I've been asking where is the NAVY?

My father was involved in numerous rescue efforts throughout his career.

I had assumed that the military would be ready to go -- knowing that ALL HANDS would be required to help out in this horrific disaster.

So far I've just seen a piecemeal military response and when asked the military is saying that FEMA is not allowing them or not directing them . . . or whatever the reason.

Something is really wrong -- because I KNOW that the military has the equipment and the desire to help.

I hope all the Vets start asking the questions -- because they most likely have experiences similar to my fathers. If there was a flood --the Navy was there with personnel, boats and equipment. Plus other natural disasters.

OH and the really big man-made disaster closing the land connections to West Berlin -- which created the Berlin Airlift -- my dad was involved in this.

What probably happened was that no effort was made before hand to get a master list of air planes and other military equipment AND Personnel ready to deploy to a massive natural disaster. The person running this part of the FEMA/HomeLand security was probably someone with zero knowledge about the military.

I've already written and contacted my congressional rep & Senators about the lack of military response -- and I will continue to contact them about this issue.

At this time I do not believe that this is the United States of America -- rather it is -- forget about it -- YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.