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Air Force helps Coast Guard keep our waters safe

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mary Hinson
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
BARBERS POINT, HAWAII --  One mission, one fight. This slogan is used often to tell of the meshing of services and components - active duty and Reserve, Air Force and Army. Without this mutual cooperation, the U.S. military would not be able to complete its missions worldwide. 

But those aren't the only opportunities for the different services to join together for a common goal. Members of the 315th Airlift Wing showed off their versatility when they helped the Coast Guard's Maritime Safety and Security Team in Honolulu, Hawaii, move two Response Boat, small, watercrafts as part of a training mission. 

The 25-foot boats, which are used for search and rescue, homeland security and other Coast Guard functions and missions, were transported from one Hawaiian island to another to "conduct some training with our waterside security detachments," according to Coast Guard Lt. Junior Grade Joseph Azzata, logistics officer for MSST. The limitations of transporting cargo are a challenge being on an island, and since the distance is too far for the boats to travel on their own, help from the Air Force, especially the C-17, "makes transportation a lot easier," added the lieutenant. 

The Coast Guard wasn't the only one gaining valuable training experience during this mission. Members of the 315th were also completing their check-rides or being evaluated for competency while taking part in this endeavor. 

"This was a pretty difficult upload - a lot of clearance issues, the boats were kind of low, the shoring that went on. It made things a little more difficult than usual," said Staff Sgt. Justin Palmer, a loadmaster with the 300th Airlift Squadron who was getting evaluated during this mission. "Hopefully they will be able to go out and do their job well because we were able to do ours." 

"It is not every day we get to work with the Coast Guard," said Lt. Col. Jeff Smith, from the 300th Airlift Squadron and the aircraft commander for this flight. "It is kind of a unique experience for us." 

Despite the challenges they had to overcome, both service representatives were impressed with and grateful for the other's help. "The guys today knew what they were doing and just came out and did their jobs really well," said Sergeant Palmer. 

"This was a great opportunity to work with our sister service," said Lt. Azzata. "The Coast Guard just appreciates the help of the U.S. Air Force, and we look forward to more joint operations of this nature."