Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Maj. John Traxler, 320th Special Tactics Squadron commander, boards an MC-130P Combat Shadow bound for Sendai Airport from Yokota Air Base, Japan, March 19 as part of Operation Tomodachi. The 320th STS is supporting U.S. military efforts to provide assistance to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Tech. Sgt. Ray Decker, 320th Special Tactics Squadron special operations weather team, takes a nap on an MC-130P Combat Shadow bound for Sendai Airport March 19. The relatively small squadron currently manages Sendai Airport, meaning squadron members work long hours with little sleep, making downtime like this a welcomed break. The 320th STS is supporting U.S. military efforts to provide assistance to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

A forklift driver from the 353rd Special Operations Group unloads medical supplies from an MC-130P Combat Shadow at Sendai Airport, Japan, March 19. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron reopened Sendai Airport's runway to fixed-wing aircraft March 16, allowing supplies to be flown-in more rapidly to support Operation Tomodachi. The 320th STS is supporting U.S. military efforts to provide assistance to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Maj. John Traxler (left), 320th Special Tactics Squadron commander, speaks with the airfield commander shortly after landing at Sendai Airport March 19. The 320th STS is supporting U.S. military efforts to provide assistance to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

An MC-130P Combat Shadow runs its engines waiting to takeoff from Sendai Airport, Japan, March 19. The specially-equipped special operations version of the C-130 Hercules is ideally suited for nighttime missions to the newly reopened runway at Sendai with its forward-looking infrared and radar as well as improved navigation equipment. The aircraft and crew are supporting U.S. military efforts to provide assistance to Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Maj. John Traxler (left), 320th Special Tactics Squadron commander, talks with members of his unit at Sendai Airport, Japan, March 19. The 320th STS currently manages the flightline at Sendai Airport, which was damaged after a March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group from Kadena Air Base, Japan, load medical supplies onto a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force truck at Sendai Airport March 19. Sendai Airport has become a hub for bringing humanitarian aid and other supplies after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

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Special ops group resupplies Sendai

Published March 21, 2011
353rd Special Operations Group

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Airmen from the 353rd Special Operations Group delivered releif supplies to Sendai Airport and resupplied their forward deployed forces with much-needed supplies and personnel March 19.

The Airmen have been working around the clock at Sendai Airport since members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron assisted Japanese emergency management officials in reopening the runway March 16.

Sendai Airport has become a main hub for bringing humanitarian aid to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit March 11.