Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta paid a visit to Lackland AFB, Tex., specifically to extend his thanks to the base’s airmen for their role in transporting and aiding evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In a 55-hour period during the Katrina evacuation, Lackland took in 9,788 evacuees on 89 aircraft. During Rita, the base processed 1,133 evacuees and set up a 24-hour reception center. Mineta called it the “largest domestic airlift in United States history.” He added, “How reassuring it must have been, knowing that they were in the hands of our nation’s finest, the men and women of Team Lackland.”
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.
