Humvees, Guard fly in to help with storm aftermath

HARLINGEN — Two military Humvees and 10 members of the Texas Air National Guard landed at Gulf Aviation Tuesday afternoon, flown in to aid local residents after Alex makes landfall.

Carrying cargo out a C-130 military transport aircraft on the tarmac, 10 servicemen with the Guard’s 147th Reconnaissance Wing, based out of Ellington Field in Houston, loaded up the two Humvees in preparation for Valley search and rescue missions, should they be needed.

Lt. Col. John Olsen said he and his men bring with them radio and tracking equipment that can be used to locate stranded residents in the aftermath of a hurricane.

“We’re going to be roaming all over the place, wherever they need us,” Olsen said, adding that he and his men will remain in the Valley “as long as it takes.”

As members of the unit’s Air Support Operations Squad (ASOS), the guardsmen have heavy search and rescue training, Master Sgt. Courtney Hinson said.

Loading equipment atop one of the unit’s Humvees, Hinson explained that the 147th uses state-of-the-art radio equipment to communicate with air support and satellite feeds to see exactly what the storm is doing and where it is headed.

ASOS’ job, he said, is to monitor the storm and make sure they’re available wherever residents need help. “Our job will be to assist wherever people need us,” Hinson said.

In addition to search and rescue training, members of the 147th have a broad range of military and civilian training, Tech. Sgt. Justin Hernandez said.

Almost all have heavy navigation and tracking experience, and some are even trained paramedics, Hernandez said. “The broad training is essential for these kinds of emergencies,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez himself worked search and rescue missions around Galveston and Houston when Hurricane Ike made landfall in the summer of 2008, he said.

With hurricane experience under his belt, Hernandez said he expects to encounter residents who are stranded due to flood waters that come with such storms.

“I think we’ll see a lot of stranded people because they either can’t make it to clear roads or just can’t make it out of their houses,” Hernandez said.

Members of the 147th, some loading cots into and on top of their Humvees, said they expect to stay on the move their entire time in the Valley.