CONTACT: Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg, (518) 786-4581

FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Sep 07, 2008

LATHAM -- Approximately twenty Soldiers and Airmen of the New York National Guard remain in the Gulf Coast to continue response and recovery efforts of the National Guard in support of state emergency operations officials. The New York National Guard forces were mobilized August 31st by New York State Governor David A. Paterson in response to Hurricane Gustav. In all, more than 100 members of the New York Army and Air National Guard and nine aircraft integrated with fellow Louisiana National Guard forces to support recovery efforts from the storm's damage. Returning home over the weekend were roughly 50 Air National Guard personnel and one HC-130 long range search and rescue airplane from the New York Air National Guard's 106th Air Rescue Wing based on Long Island. These personnel will remain on standby at Gabreski Airport at Westhampton Beach and be available to return to affected areas if needed. Two HH-60 Special Operations helicopters remain in Meridian, Miss in support of Gustav operations. An additional HC-130 aircraft also remains on standby at Gabreski Airport at Westhampton Beach for potential follow-on missions. Also returning home were approximately 45 Soldiers along with three UH-1V (medevac) helicopters and one CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the New York Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility in Rochester. Aviation personnel integrated with the Louisiana Army National Guard's aviation Task Force Razorback and assisted in airlifting over 150,000 pounds of sand used to repair a levee breach and delivered food and water to Federal Emergency Management Agency distribution centers throughout affected areas. Two CH-47 helicopters will remain in Baton Rouge and continue to transport additional food and water to FEMA distribution locations. Medical evacuation personnel from the Air National Guard's 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, part of the 109th Airlift Wing, Scotia were released from their alert status on Sep 3, but remain available for recall should missions come up. An additional sixteen communications personnel from the New York Army and Air National Guard were placed on standby for support missions to the Gulf Coast if requested. Cutlines: Rescue aircraft prepared in Louisiana.jpg A line of HH-60G Pave Hawks from the 943rd Rescue Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., 176th Wing, Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska, 129th Rescue Wing, Moffett Federal Airfield, Calif. and the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing from Westhampton Beach, Long Island sit on the flightline at Ellington Field, Texas, Sept. 3. The U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard aircraft and personnel provided the governors of Louisiana and Texas air search and rescue assets for the response to Hurricane Gustav. Air Force photo by Technical Sgt. Ray Aquino. Aerial refueling over Louisiana.jgp Two HH-60G Pave Hawks perform an aerial refueling mission with an MC-130P refueler over Louisiana Sept. 2. The aircraft are part of Joint Task Force 129, which supported Hurricane Gustav rescue operations. Air National Guardsmen from the 106th Rescue Wing, Gabreski Airport, N.Y., 176th Wing, Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska and the Calif Air National Guard's 129th Rescue Wing, Moffett Federal Airfield, were part of the rescue task force. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ray Aquino. Photo cutlines embedded in Photoshop.

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