Afghan troops save 2,000 civilians from flood
 By None  , ISAF Joint Command
  100730flood
 KABUL, Afghanistan (July 30, 2010)****— Afghan and coalition  members from the Combined Air Power Transition Force (CAPTF) teamed up  Wednesday and Thursday to rescue more than 2,000 Afghan citizens from  flooding in the Nangahar and Kunar provinces.The mostly Afghan  crew, led by Kabul Air Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Barat,  utilized just two Afghan Air Force Mi-17 helicopters over a 33-hour period. “The rescue effort started west of Jalalabad,  moving 50 people stranded by flooding to high ground. Flying in poor  weather, the crews rescued about 300 people by the end of the first  day,” said Brig Gen Michael R. Boera, Commander of CAPTF, an  organization in the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan charged with  developing Afghanistan’s air power institutions. Because of  weather, the Kabul-based crews remained at Jalalabad Airfield overnight  Wednesday, waking early Thursday to more calls for help. Day two, as it  turns out, would be a long day flying in some dangerous areas.“The  crews were called out for rescues in Kunar, five miles south of  Asadabad. This is a region of conflict, with a history of surfice-to-air  fire, which is particularly dangerous to helicopter operations,” said  Lt Col Paul Birch, a CAPTF spokesman. “Flight crews were  cognizant of Taliban presence throughout the day, with rescued  individuals bringing routine reports of fighters’ proximity,” Birch  continued. “The National Military Command Center coordinated for Afghan  National Police protection for the pick-up points - and effective use of  all parts of the Afghan National Security Forces.” Aircrews  airlifted about 1,700 people, flying the two helicopters almost nonstop,  only pausing to refuel. Evacuating so many people with just two  helicopters was a testament to the teamwork and also the flexibility and  quality of the aircraft, according to the U.S. Air Force general in  charge of CAPTF air operations. “The new Mi-17s were amazing.  The passenger loads were phenomenal, with the dual doors and ramp being  indispensible. Also, the common cockpit configuration instrumentation  was critical in the marginal weather,” Boera said. During the  course of the rescue operations, coalition crews displayed many acts of  heroism that were awe inspiring, according to Birch. “Lt. Col. Bernard  “Jeep” Willi, a CAPTF advisor pilot, held one wheel on the side of a  bridge while hovering to allow stranded Afghans to board. Another pilot  performed a rescue with his Mi17 submerged to the fuselage,” Birch said.  During the day, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kevin Fife, CAPTF crew chief  advisor, was teamed with Afghan crew chiefs in helping load people on  the helicopter. During several rescue missions, Fife saw children in the  water who needed assistance, and without hesitation, he went in to get  them. “When you see people in need you have to make a decision,  react or do nothing. I choose to do something because that is what we  do, we act. I saw someone who needed help and I helped,” Fife said.  “This is why we are here, to help people who are in need. Anyone would  have done the same thing over the two days we were out there,” Fife  continued. Once the mission was the complete, the Air Force  general had nothing but praise for the Afghan and coalition partners who  helped so many people in need. “I’m proud to be the CAPTF  commanding general given the heroic exploits of the Afghans and  Americans on this embedded partnership disaster relief mission of  mercy,” Boera said.