439th Communications Squadron Helps Flood Victims

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  • 439th AW Public Affairs
WESTOVER, Mass. --  Reservists from the 439th Communications Squadron participated in Operation Delta Care, Task Force Razorback, in West Helena, Ark., in July.

"The timing couldn't have been better," said Maj. Jeremy Downer, 439 CS communications officer. Although this deployment was planned more than one year ago, participants provided real-world medical support to the flood-ravaged Mississippi River Delta region.

"The deployment happened to coincide with the time just after the flooding began to roll back," said Maj. Downer. "So the initial response teams had just left, and we followed up with medical care for people in the community."

The Taskforce Razorback Arkansas Medical Innovative Readiness Training health screening clinic in McGehee, Ark., served the residents of a seven-county area known locally as the Arkansas Delta region with Army, Navy and Air Force reserve units providing a variety of medical, eye, dental and veterinary services to the residents in the economically depressed region.

The 439th CS was one of six communications units deployed to the exercise. Westover communicators set up and maintained the central node in the network. They ran network control for five other sites as well as communications support for Army staff and the task force commander.

The eleven 439th CS members worked in two separate teams, providing advance and operational support.

"This exercise provided real-world benefit for the troops' annual tour," said Maj. Downer.