MAKING A DIFFERENCE - RSAF HELPS OUT IN KATRINA RELIEF OPERATIONS

He stood for hours on a broken road next to a sandy landfill.

With an American flag propped up on his shoulder, he was oblivious to all else except the aircraft that were swooping down with white sandbags under-slung.

Gazing at the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and other aircraft carrying out their daily mission of patching the broken levees, he solemnly saluted each of them.

It is people like him who spur the servicemen of the RSAF's Peace Prairie Detachment on. They have been deployed there for a week now, in support of the Texas Army National Guard, to help provide humanitarian assistance and relief in the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Arriving at Fort Polk, Louisiana, on 1 Sep, the RSAF men plunged straight into action, setting up base camp within three hours and familiarising themselves with the area of operations. Everyone was clear that the task at hand required a swift response.

Near Lake Pontchartrain, in the northern part of the city, houses are still mostly submerged with only rooftops peeking out from the water. Highways are broken into sections, leaving canoes and boats as the only feasible alternative to manoeuvre through the streets.

Throughout the past week, 41 of the RSAF servicemen, together with their American counterparts, maintained a hectic schedule that saw them carrying out various missions ranging from relocating evacuees to transporting Zodiac boats to facilitate search and rescue.

The Chinooks fly out daily in a group of three. It takes them 80 minutes to get to New Orleans where they receive their mission orders for the day.

The team only lands for lunch and refuelling - staying up in the air for up to eight hours a day.

"An unfamiliar area of operations and the number of aircraft operating in there - these are the main challenges for us," said Peace Prairie Detachment Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Kevin Rodrigues.

"What we have to do is to remain adaptable, keep focused and have a high situational awareness at all times." The Peace Prairie Detachment returns to Dallas, Texas, on 10 Sep. The men are glad to have been able to make a meaningful contribution to the relief operations.

"We have been heavily involved in this operation and I think a lot of us have developed a personal attachment of wanting to help and contribute to the relief operations," said LTC Rodrigues.

"But we are all professionals and taking the guidance from the Texas Army National Guard that our job is mainly completed, we are ready to go back."

"Looking back at the pace of things and how much we have flown and achieved in the last seven to eight days, I'm actually encouraged to know that we are standing on a very strong foundation," he added.

"This operation was the litmus test for us."

As the sun set upon their last mission out, the man with his flag was still rooted to the same spot, and he saluted again in appreciation.