Seasoned by years of hurricane response, the
Mississippi Air National Guard was on the move within the first 24 hours after the storm hit land. A C-17 from the 172nd Airlift Wing at Jackson, Miss., flew 90,000 pounds of food into the airfield at Gulfport, Miss. The supplies were gone within a day, and six New York ANG C-5s from the 105th AW, Stewart ANGB, N.Y., flew in 540,000 pounds more.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
