Breaking the Siege on Sinjar USAF stepped in with an urgent relief effort when ISIS threatened a humanitarian catastrophe.

By Jennifer Hlad, Senior Editor

Airmen prepare a C-130H for takeoff on a humanitarian mission to Sinjar Aug. 9, 2014.

50 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2015 n early August 2014, after months Air Force-led relief mission aimed at The request came from the govern- of waging war across Iraq, the ter- preventing what he called “a potential ment of Iraq, going through US Air rorists of the Islamic State (ISIS) act of genocide.” Forces Central Command before landing Ihad taken Mosul and Tikrit and “When many thousands of innocent at the Theater Direct Delivery Cell of had fixed their sights on the Yazidis, civilians are faced with the danger the Air Mobility Division at the 609th a Kurdish-speaking religious minority of being wiped out, and we have the Air Operations Center at al Udeid AB, group living in northern Iraq. capacity to do something about it, we Qatar. The 609th is one of USAF’s com- Facing death, torture, or enslavement will take action,” he said. “That is our bined air and space operations centers, at the hands of ISIS terrorists, tens of responsibility as Americans. That’s a or CAOCs. thousands of Yazidis fled their homes hallmark of American leadership. That’s Maj. Mike Damron, who was then the but became trapped on Mount Sinjar who we are.” AMD tactics chief with the CAOC there, with no food, water, or shelter. said while the US and the Air Force still Up to that point, the US had avoided PLANNING THE DROP needed to secure the proper legal approv- military action against ISIS, but the US troops in the region had seen in- als and diplomatic clearances, “we knew worsening humanitarian crisis drove telligence about the situation on Mount there was a very good possibility of doing President Barack Obama to action: On Sinjar, but first received notification the drop.” Aug. 7, he authorized the first air strikes about potential relief airdrops on Aug. That meant not just looking at how much against ISIS, in what is now known as 5—about 36 hours before the first flights water and food AFCENT had on hand, Operation Inherent Resolve, and an took off. but also how many aircraft were needed,

USAF photo by SSgt. Jeremy Bowcock

AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2015 51 where the pallets should be dropped, supplies to US troops, the Air Force would which crews to put on crew rest, what be dropping supplies to non-Americans maintenance needed to be done, and how under the cover of darkness, on a mountain they would handle unforeseen variables surrounded by hostile forces. like aircraft breakdowns. The US airmen didn’t know exactly Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing, what the situation was on the ground, JB Charleston, S.C., who at the time were Homrig said, but were told there were deployed to the Central Command area potentially “tens of thousands of people” as part of the 816th Expeditionary Airlift cut off from any normal supply route. Squadron, stood up a mission planning In an address to the nation from the cell at the CAOC to begin working on a White House, Obama said the Yazidis concept of operations, detailing how the were facing “almost certain death.” airdrops would work on the tactical level. “When we face a situation like we The CAOC also alerted the 618th Air do on that mountain—with innocent Operations Center, the Tanker Airlift people facing the prospect of violence Control Center at Scott Air Force Base on a horrific scale, when we have a in Illinois. At the Theater Direct Deliv- mandate to help, … and when we have ery Division there, Maj. Jason Homrig, the unique capabilities to help avert deputy director of TDDD operations, a massacre, then I believe the United

TSgt. Lynn Morelly, a C-17 loadmaster, watches bundles of supplies parachute to the ground at Sinjar. Right: Capt. Erica Stooksbury (r), a C-17 pilot, briefs her crew before taking off on an airdrop mission over the inaccessible oto b t er o o r Sinjar area of Iraq. began making plans for the C-17 portion States of America cannot turn a blind “Our worst fear” was to drop stuff of the mission. eye,” Obama said. “Earlier this week, out of an aircraft that would land on the “We started looking at manning forces one Iraqi in the area cried to the world, people it was supposed to aid, he said. and that kind of stuff,” he said. “We were ‘There is no one coming to help.’ Well, Another challenge: The mission notified essentially as they were still today, America is coming to help.” brought together troops from several framing the formation, how the actual ISIS had created the need for the air- different US commands, plus C-130s and air drops were going to go, to get the drops, and also made the relief efforts their crews from the United Kingdom required aid in place.” more difficult. The aircraft would need and Australia. Homrig, a C-130 pilot, had flown hu- to fly at low altitude, in the darkness, Still, Homrig said, pilots and crews manitarian assistance and disaster relief and remain over the drop zones for less train for airdrops in complex scenarios. missions before—including Operation than 15 minutes. “We are experienced at this, and so Damayan after the 2013 super typhoon Damron had participated in airdrops when it comes down to actual mission in the Philippines—which he said helps in Afghanistan before—from inside the execution, you really rely on that train- bring perspective to the planning process. aircraft. But US troops always cleared ing and that experience, and it will take But this mission was different. Instead of the drops, he said. The Mount Sinjar you through,” he said. landing somewhere to unload relief sup- mission called for dropping pallets of With the advantage of prior plan- plies after a natural disaster or dropping supplies to civilians on the ground. ning, Damron said they had around a 52 / October 2015 70 percent solution when the Air Force was given the definite go-ahead, less than 24 hours before the airdrops were to begin. Even then, they weren’t sure how long the airdrops would continue.

A ER O A O C The first night of the mission, one C-17 and two C-130 Hercules aircraft flew to Sinjar, escorted by two F/A-18s from the carrier George H. W. Bush, in the Persian Gulf at the time. The airlift- ers dropped bundles containing 28,224 Meals, Ready to Eat, and 1,522 gallons of fresh drinking water. But there was still work to do. Damron said he and others in the CAOC “planned straight through,” looking at intelligence reports to determine where more supplies were needed, while others worked to secure approvals for subsequent drops. “We knew we were going to be drop- ping again until we got orders to stop,” Above: MSgt. Pennie Brawley, a C-130 loadmaster, inventories halal MREs during he said. “We just didn’t know exactly an airdrop. Here (l-r): SrA. Quinton Hayward, SSgt. Joshua Brown, and MSgt. Steve where on the mountain we were going to Brown, C-17 loadmasters, adjust a bundle of halal MREs before delivery of the food drop. That changed almost every night.” and bottled water to displaced Yazidis at Mount Sinjar. At the same time, the riggers—mainly soldiers—loading the pallets with food said at the time. “I can imagine being in ... all the coordination between every and water were working around the the shoes of these parents down there. other aircraft,” over the drop zone, he clock, Damron said. Some added a Not being able to provide much during said. This included information about personal touch. a time of war would be heartbreaking. foreign aircraft coming in to drop with In a throwback to 1st Lt. Gail S. This could be something that will make the US. Damron and his teammates Halvorsen’s “Candy Bomber” missions a dire situation a little brighter, even if “brought that all together to ensure that during the Berlin Airlift, MSgt. Stephen it’s just for a few moments.” they could meet at one place at one time Brown, a loadmaster with the 816th In Illinois, Homrig and others with and execute the air drop.” Airlift Squadron, taped a package of the AOC monitored the C-17 portion of The list of participating units and part- Skittles to a bundle of halal MREs. This the mission and provided command and ners is long—so long that an Air Force prompted others in Brown’s unit to at- control—while still monitoring more spokesman said it is impossible to nail tach candy, toys, and even bags full of than 40 other sorties each day. down exactly how many people partici- treats to later bundles. Damron took a broader view, making pated in the relief effort. US Transporta- “Although my favorite candy that sure every person and aircraft worked tion Command, US Central Command, doesn’t melt in the desert heat is Star- together. Air Mobility Command, AFCENT, 18th burst, I took what I had in my bag and “From where I sit, I had access to every Air Force, 618th AOC (TACC), the 609th just taped it to the side of the box,” he asset that was involved in the operation, AOC (CAOC), Department of State, AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2015 The airdrop missions ended after seven nights, and most of the Yazidis were able to leave the mountain. Here, a C-17 lands at al Udeid AB, Qatar, after a drop mission in August 2014.

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United States Agency for International at the time. The last airdrops took place of our military who carried out this hu- Development, the government of Iraq, that night. manitarian operation almost flawlessly.” and the air forces of the United Kingdom The next day, then-Pentagon spokes- Kirby said the mission was necessary and Australia all played a role. man Rear. Adm. John Kirby told because DOD believed “the risk of geno- That made for very long days in the reporters there were “far fewer Yazidis cide was real.” CAOC, Damron said, but the airdrops trapped on Mount Sinjar than previously “There was an imminent threat at the would never have been approved if the feared, and that’s largely because of our time to tens of thousands of people on that airmen couldn’t plan around the chal- successful humanitarian airdrops and US mountain,” he said. “They’re up against lenges. air strikes on [ISIS] targets.” some pretty brutal people here, you know, “It was a very busy time,” he said. beheading young kids and chasing down “But everybody came together.” O E RI I innocent women and children and slaugh- Planners added an additional C-130 The airdrops, together with the tering them.” on the fourth and fifth nights of the nearby air strikes, allowed Kurdish Damron said everything went as operation, and an additional C-17 for Peshmerga troops to help the Yazidis planned during the airdrops, and all the the sixth and seventh nights. Altogether, leave the mountain, Kirby said, bring- bundles were dropped on target. It was his USAF flew nine C-17 missions and ing the number of Yazidis there down first time in a planning role as the weapons 16 C-130 missions, dropping bundles to roughly 5,000—including about officer for a humanitarian aid mission, and containing 35,397 gallons of water and 2,000 who planned to stay there— he said it was rewarding to be able to put 114,216 halal MREs—679,280 pounds thereby making an evacuation mission that training to use. of cargo—on Mount Sinjar over a seven- unnecessary. But the best part of the operation, he night stretch. “Those who remain on Mount Sinjar said, was “knowing that we were sav- In an Aug. 11 briefing at the Pentagon, are in better condition than we previ- ing lives.” Army Lt. Gen. William Mayville Jr., ously thought they might be, and they Homrig said he enjoyed being able to director of operations for the Joint Staff, continue to have access to the food and work with other services, countries, and responded to questions about a possible water that we have airdropped,” he said. aircraft on such an important mission. safe corridor for the Yazidi refugees by Kirby said that Defense Secretary “It really puts into perspective and unites saying the most important thing at that Chuck Hagel was “very proud that we’ve people from different places, … and you moment was to deliver water, shelter, been able to effect this kind of change get to do basically a good deed,” he said. and food to those still stranded on the around Mount Sinjar, and in particular “The best moments of my career and my mountain. thanks to the skill and professionalism life have been when we’ve been able to “We are, right now, gripped by the of our military personnel.” directly impact and help those who are in immediacy of the crisis, and our focus In a speech, Obama said the airdrops dire need, both in the Philippines and [at right now is to provide immediate relief had helped the US military break ISIS’ Mount Sinjar]. … It’s really giving hope to those that are suffering,” he said. “We “siege of Mount Sinjar.” to those who need it.” need to continue to sustain the humani- “We helped vulnerable people reach Homrig had deployed to Iraq several tarian assistance, and we need to be able safety, and we saved many innocent times previously, so he said, “To be able to protect that effort.” lives,” he said. “The bottom line is, is to help our friends out in Iraq and let them On Aug. 13, after six nights of air- that the situation on the mountain has know that even though ISIL might be right drops, the US sent a handful of troops greatly improved and Americans should in their face, that we are not deterred, … and a group of USAID personnel to be very proud of our efforts. … I could it’s always a good feeling to do the right assess the situation, DOD officials said not be prouder of the men and women thing.” J AIR FORCE Magazine / October 2015