Schwartz pointed out that, amid the wartime operations, Air Mobility Command undertook three major airlift-intensive relief missions. After the Indian Ocean tsunami, Operation Unified Assistance carried, in a very short period, 2,943 passengers and 3,786 short tons of cargo. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, AMC aircraft hauled 13,717 patients/evacuees and 5,170 tons of relief supplies. After the devastating earthquake in Pakistan, AMC airlifters transported 1,674 passengers and 5,549 short tons of critical relief supplies.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.