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3/9/2010 - SALT LAKE CITY (AFNS) -- Four members of the Utah Air National Guard's 151st Air Refueling Wing based here had a rude awakening Feb. 27 when the 15th floor of their hotel in Santiago, Chile, started to shake.
Deployed to Chile to provide flying and maintenance support to the Chilean air force on their new KC-135 "E" model aircraft, the group had no idea that a 8.8-magnitude earthquake would quickly cause them to become the some of the first U.S. armed forces members to support humanitarian efforts in the country.
The Utah ANG crew, along with Airmen from Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, arrived in Santiago on Feb. 16 to help deliver the country's first-ever KC-135E and provide training to the Chilean airmen.
That routine training plan quickly transformed into a real-world contingency operation on Feb. 28, when the group was asked to help transport mobile medical units and supplies back and forth from northern Chile to other locations throughout the country.
