McGuire pilots bring aid to Georgia

They weren't expecting trouble when they flew into Georgia with 40,000 pounds of medical supplies and other relief.

But Air Force Maj. Ryan Vander Veen of Mount Laurel and Capt. Jim George of Cherry Hill knew the possibility existed.

As their cavernous C-17 Globemaster cargo plane descended through clouds to an airport at Tbilisi on Thursday, they looked around for evidence of war and the Russian forces that had entered the country.

They saw none - only the faces of joyous relief workers who happily received their $2 million worth of supplies, including 100,000 doses of much-needed antibiotics and countless blankets and pillows.

For the two McGuire Air Force Base pilots, the Georgia flight was just another 20-hour workday during their scheduled 10-day rotation through Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they receive a variety of missions, including flights into Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We have a mix, but that's normal in our community," said Vander Veen, a 32-year-old Grand Rapids, Mich., native who's married and has two daughters, ages 3 and 5.

"It makes life exciting," added George, a 29-year-old Pittsburgh native. "It's what we signed up for, what we trained for, what we know."

Earlier this month, they were sleeping in their own beds in South Jersey, cutting the grass at home, puttering around the apartment.

Then came the Ramstein assignment: fly their $200 million aircraft into Tbilisi while Russian tanks were parked about 35 miles away near the city of Gori, blocking Georgia's main east-west highway and cutting the country in half.

"The relief workers were all smiles the whole time we were there," said Vander Veen, who was quickly interviewed by a TV news crew when he landed. "If they ask me, I'll go again."

Humanitarian missions "provide an instant reward," George said. "It's there as soon as you arrive. You see the reaction right away, the gratification, the relief workers super happy. It's one of the perks."

Russian forces yesterday allowed some relief supplies into Gori, but the situation in the war-battered country still poses potential danger for American flight crews dropping off their cargoes.

"If something came up, we were prepared to react," said Vander Veen, one of six McGuire crew members. "There were contingency plans, talk about what to do.

"But we didn't anticipate anything happening. Russia would not interfere with a humanitarian mission. There was a low threat, but there was always the unknown."

George said the crew was used to flying into Iraq and Afghanistan and were "briefed about possible threats [in Georgia]. We weren't really worried."

Vander Veen and George's long day began early Thursday. Supplies were brought to Ramstein from a nearby warehouse and placed on pallets that were loaded onto the C-17. Then came the 41/2-hour flight to Tbilisi.

The flight - one of several - carried not only relief but hope. It was a symbol of American support for Georgia.

The cargoes have not included military supplies. Bush administration officials have focused their diplomatic efforts on guaranteeing territorial integrity - keeping South Ossetia and the other restless region, Abkhazia, within Georgian borders.

Vander Veen and George's goals were more narrowly aimed at helping people survive in the short run.

A McGuire crew and C-17 routinely fly into Ramstein about every 10 days to be available for missions that have ranged from the humanitarian relief after a tsunami to evacuation of Americans from war-torn Lebanon. Many of their missions have included transporting wounded and dead from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The C-17 pilots stay up on the news," Vander Veen said. "If there is a natural disaster or conflict, we anticipate a call to the unit to go somewhere. A C-17 will be involved one way or another."

The Mount Laurel pilot said his wife, Bridget, "knows the aviation world because she was a flight attendant. She understands, but it's hard being away from family."

"I feel great about the mission," George added. "I'm proud that we're relied on like this."