MINISTER for the Armed Forces Adam Ingram was at RAF Odiham on Monday to thank Chinook crews who had risked life and limb to provide vital humanitarian aid to earthquake torn Pakistan. The detachment from 27 Squadron 'B' flight arrived back at Odiham last week having spent a month transporting aid to affected communities in the mountainous areas of northern Pakistan, airlifting casualties to the UN field hospitals in Islamabad and refugees and displaced persons to the co-ordination centres. In expressing "a big thank you" for their "magnificent effort", Mr Ingram said there was "no doubt the Chinook crews had saved countless lives". He praised the effort and courage involved in carrying out relief work in unpredictable weather conditions and inhospitable mountainous terrain - a task they were able to undertake thanks to a high level of training and commitment and a "very professional" approach to the job. Mr Ingram added that the detachment had given hope to many communities in the UK whose relatives had been directly affected by the earthquake. "They are the unsung and unseen heroes - they were out there saving lives and making a difference - I am proud of them, and the nation should be proud of them," he said. Three Chinook helicopters from RAF Odiham were dispatched to Pakistan at the end of October following a desperate plea from the Pakistani government for helicopters to transport supplies to remote communities and airlift the injured to safety. The helicopters were transported to Islamabad aboard C17 transport aircraft before being rebuilt ready to support the relief operation. During their four week detachment the Odiham crews are said to have flown some 33,000 miles and delivered almost 1,600 tons of aid to remote parts of the country where earthquake damage has wiped out and flattened entire communities. The aid, predominantly tents, blankets, warm clothing, baby care equipment, food, medicine and building materials are all in desperate shortage in the affected region. The Chinooks also evacuated some 328 homeless and displaced people, 33 of them casualties, from areas that could not be reached by road. According to Wg Comd Steve Shell, in charge of the detachment, this was the first humanitarian mission carried out by RAF Odiham crews since a "comfort" deployment to help the Kurds at the end of the first Gulf War. The station's roster had determined that 27 Squadron 'B' flight was in a state of 'high readiness' when the call for help came in, and four crews were selected to provide an appropriate "balance of experience", needed to fly in demanding conditions. They had arrived to find 10,000 feet of snow- capped mountains bracing themselves for the onset of winter weather, with plunging temperatures and the beginnings of snow storms. Wg Comd Shell explained that while any helicopter has difficulty flying in that sort of rarified atmosphere, handling characteristics were made even more difficult because the Chinooks were carrying seven tons of aid, some of which was underslung and subject to buffeting by high winds. Crews also had to land and unload in very tight clearings in a bid to take aid as close as possible to those in need. "We were flying 100 to 120 mile sorties into remote mountain sites where roads don't exist or have been long destroyed," said Wg Comd Shell, who pointed out that while the people living there were used to bad weather many of them had lost everything - this was a different kind of hardship to endure but they were beginning to fight back. "Before we left it was heartening to see people with tents pitched next to a pile of rubble which was once their home but next to that poles going up to indicate the start of rebuilding," he reported. In addition, towards the end of their four week stint the three RAF Odiham Chinooks had joined other heavy lift helicopters in implementing a UN hub and spoke system, repositioning aid to forward bases for easier forward distribution by land during the winter months. The Chinooks have now withdrawn and returned to the UK to undergo essential servicing to prepare for other operational duties. They have handed over to members of the Royal Engineers whose job it will be to help rebuild the country's infrastructure. "They need to get the roads re-opened before winter sets in because helicopters find it difficult to fly in really bad weather," said Wg Comd Shell. One member of the team, Flt Lt Sohail Khan, said his place with the detachment had been secured because he spoke Urdu, the language used by most people in the area which had proven key to the smooth running of the relief operation. His main job had been to check incoming aid and to co-ordinate loading and distribution, as well as refueling and maintenance of the aircraft. Having flown into the mountains to distribute some of the aid, he had been confronted by some heart wrenching scenes. "From the air it doesn't look that bad but at ground level the buildings are just flattened. There are areas of complete devastation where people, many of them children, had lost their families and their homes - it made you want to go back every day." Aid, he said, was flooding in from countries around the world, with agencies such as the Tear Fund, Care International, MFS Holland and the International Red Cross working with the UN to distribute it. "There was clear evidence of UK involvement. On the last day we airlifted aid from Khalsa Aid UK, a Sikh-based organisation in the south of England which had sent a load of water purification units." Having arrived home in time for Christmas, Flt Lt Khan said its has taken a few days to adjust. "We have been running on adrenaline. But I have to say, it was the most rewarding experience in my nine years in the airforce - it was something special, never to be forgotten."
