374th Logistics Readiness Squadron pivots from tasking to airlift in Kumamoto earthquake response

Airmen at Yokota Air Base moved on short notice Saturday, Aug. 8, to prepare humanitarian supplies for airlift to communities affected by the July 28 Kumamoto earthquake, rapidly building and loading 20 pallets of bottled water for delivery.

Members of the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron began staging equipment and organizing their work area even as mission details were still taking shape, assessing manpower, coordinating with partner units and identifying the tools needed to move the cargo. “When we have a task, especially a short-notice one, our office is designed to operate with augmentation and support from other units,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Moritz, 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron Air Transportation Function section chief.

To extend their capacity beyond organic manpower and equipment, the Air Transportation Function drew support from the 730th Air Mobility Squadron and the 374th LRS Combat Mobility Flight. “We provided the ATF a team of four personnel and a 10K Standard forklift,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Sanderson, 374th LRS Contingency Support Team noncommissioned officer in charge. “We inspected all the pallets and nets we would be using to build and secure the cargo properly.”

The team’s task differed from routine operations. “Normally, the customer brings the cargo to us,” Moritz said. “In this case, we built the cargo from scratch,” he added. Airmen staged empty 463L pallets, and 374th LRS Ground Transportation personnel transferred cases of water from a flatbed trailer as crews built, secured and weighed each load. Early on, they identified the need for additional shoring to optimize pallet configuration, allowing them to maximize space while keeping within weight limits.

“Having personnel from CMF with the know-how of building cargo allowed the ATF team to prepare the cargo faster and focus on the documentation side of the mission, such as load planning and manifesting the cargo,” Sanderson said. With added equipment from CMF and Ground Transportation, the crew worked multiple pallets at once and completed the palletization in less than four hours. “If it was just me and my team building those pallets, you would have seen three bodies out there,” Moritz said. “With the larger team, we can operate multiple forklifts, secure multiple pallets at a time and get them weighed quicker.”

In total, the Airmen prepared 20 pallets of bottled water weighing 52,052 pounds (23,610 kilograms), or about 33,000 bottles. With the cargo built, the Air Transportation Function shifted to load planning. Instead of a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules, the shipment would fly on a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. Procedures and capacities can vary by aircraft and service, so the team coordinated directly with the Marine aircrew. “When they first landed, I sent my load planner out to meet with the crew,” Moritz said. “He showed them the cargo we had and asked what the aircraft could safely accept.” He added, “We’re not relying on estimates or general aircraft limitations. We’re working with the aircraft’s actual weight and cargo limits, which allows us to build a more accurate load plan.”

The KC-130J transported the shipment from Yokota to a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force installation in Kumamoto, where Japan’s Self-Defense Forces took responsibility for distributing the water through relief-supply management centers.

For those involved, the mission resonated personally. “These missions are super important to us, especially with the humanitarian aspect,” Moritz said. “It hits a little bit harder because it’s Japan.” Sanderson echoed that sentiment: “When I saw the tasking come through, I was proud to be involved in a HADR mission to help the people of Kumamoto,” he said. “I’m proud to be a Port Dawg.”

Moritz credited the outcome to initiative across the team. “My team’s ability to identify that this needs to happen — ‘I am right here. I’m going to make it happen’ — that is what brings joy to me,” he said. “No one on my team is leaving things undone,” he added. “They are working together. They are taking the initiative and finding the answers they need to move forward.”