105th Airlift Wing Flies in War and Peace
Published Apr 15, 2006
Cargo jets transported both goods and passengers during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As the summer of 2005 wound down, Col. Charles Faro found his 105th Airlift Wing winding into action in more ways than he could have imagined.
Based at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, the 105th flies massive C5-A transport aircraft as part of New York’s Air National Guard.
The 105th hauled 77 million pounds of cargo and nearly 18,000 passengers to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. A decade later, the wing ferried tons more cargo and 15,000 passengers in the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
While still in the throes of that military effort, some sobering peacetime missions arose with Hurricane Katrina’s landfall on the Gulf Coast.
A 105th crew flew 14 fire and rescue vehicles aboard a C5-A to devastated New Orleans – all this while continuing missions to Iraq.
“It’s a very taxing time,” says Faro, the 105th’s vice commander. “We’re all over the place … at home and abroad at the same time.”
At home, the 105th contributes mightily to the Newburgh-Orange County economy, where it’s joined by the 213th Engineering Installation Squadron and Marine Aircraft Group 49.
The guard and military units contribute nearly 2,500 personnel and an economic impact of $169 million annually, according to state estimates.
Photo by Stephen Cherry
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