Army
US Army delivers tents, hygiene products to earthquake-devastated Turkey
Stars and Stripes
February 15, 2023
U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook assigned to 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1AD CAB), delivers relief supplies to Pazarcik, Turkey, on Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)
The U.S. military continues to send aid to earthquake-devastated Turkey, with 40,000 pounds of supplies arriving on two Army CH-47F Chinook helicopters in Elbistan and Pazarcik on Tuesday.
The supplies, delivered from Incirlik Air Base to Turkish relief agency AFAD by the 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, included tents, hygiene products and diapers, an Army news release said.
Turkish air base Incirlik, about 124 miles from the epicenter of the quake that struck Feb. 6 in southern Turkey and northern Syria, is serving as a hub for humanitarian assistance flowing into the affected region. It was not significantly damaged in the earthquake, Stars and Stripes previously reported.
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Christopher Norris, a CH-47F Chinook crew chief, supervises as his aircraft is loaded with tents from the U.N. Refugee Agency at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Borda, a CH-47F Chinook crew chief, supervises as relief supplies are unloaded from his aircraft in Elbistan, Turkey, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)
Previous deliveries include nearly 6,000 tons of food, supplies and equipment, the Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing said in a statement Sunday.
The 1st Armored Division has conducted 10 aerial missions totaling more than 60 flight hours since Feb. 7 in support of the United States Agency for International Development and Turkish relief efforts, the release said.
More than 39,000 people have died in the quake, with more than 35,000 of the dead in Turkey. The quake is now the deadliest in Turkey since the modern nation was founded 100 years ago, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Borda takes a group photo with Turkish relief workers in Elbistan, Turkey, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)
A U.S. Army CH-47F Chinook assigned to 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (1AD CAB), delivers relief supplies to Elbistan, Turkey, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Borda distributes relief supplies from his aircraft in Pazarcik, Turkey, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023. (William Thompson/U.S. Army)