615th CRW celebrates 1 year anniversary

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Raymond Hoy
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 615th Contingency Response Wing celebrated its first anniversary since standing up as Air Mobility Command’s second CRW here Tuesday. 

It marked the end of a year filled with natural disaster relief, contingency response exercises and developmental processes. 

Although the wing was developed from the now deactivated 615th Air Mobility Operations Group, it still needed to develop the new CRW way of doing things. Since its inception, the wing has been hard at work, along with the 621st CRW at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., trying to develop new guidance and instructions for the wing’s mission. 

“This first year was spent establishing the organizations and the working relationships within them and developing our higher headquarters guidance,” said Col. Timothy Grosz, 615th CRW commander. “And that’s exciting to be able to do that from the ground up.” 

The 615th CRW has been able to take the old AMOG mission and build upon the framework. The AMOG was an airfield operations group; establishing and operating remote airfields in forward deployed locations. The 615th CRW has been able to expand those operations to include base opening operations with everything from security forces to finance and contracting members. 

The 615th CRW has been able to take people from many different career fields and perform with the cohesion of a team. 

“The wing is built largely on the idea of cross-utilization,” said Colonel Grosz. 
“Everyone participates in all aspects of the mission.” 

“You might be pushing a pallet one minute, and then picking up your M-16 and defending a fighting position the next,” he added. 

In the last year, the wing has been involved mainly with humanitarian missions. The most notable mission was the Hurricane Katrina relief in the gulf coast region. The 615th CRW sent 51 members to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to help with repairs and the movement of humanitarian supplies for Americans affected by the devastation. They also sent 22 members to New Orleans International Airport to assist with the movement of refugees and supplies. 

“To me nothing was more satisfying than being able to help out fellow Americans during their time of need,” said Capt. Ryan Norman, 572nd Global Mobility Squadron port flight commander. “What was great about this trip is that we were not only able to help out our fellow Airman, but we were also able to help the local community during those trying times.” 

The wing also provided manning assistance to the 621st CRW in Pakistan after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake ravaged the northern part of the country in October, 2005.
While the wing is proud to be involved with humanitarian support, the main mission of the 615th CRW is to be a combat capable unit. 

“While we are heavily involved with humanitarian missions, we are ready to go at a moment’s notice for combat missions,” said Colonel Grosz. “We’ve got a CRG on alert right now, ready to go if needed.” 

The wing has been involved in many contingency exercises during its first year to prepare for any future deployments that may occur at a moments notice. These include the Eagle Flag exercise at Fort Dix, N.J., and the Joint Forcible Entry exercise at Pope AFB, N.C. 

Colonel Grosz said the highlight of the first year for him wasn’t a humanitarian mission or an exercise. 

“The motivation and the excitement of the people within the organization has been my highlight,” he said. “Their willingness to help people and go the extra mile in a crisis.” 

The future of the 615th CRW is a firm one. The capabilities of the CRWs are something that benefits not only the Air Force, but the Department of Defense as well.
Whether it is for humanitarian or war fighting efforts, the 615th CRW offers a rapid response service that few others within the DoD can provide.