Air Force jet leaving Kabul with Afghans clinging to it appears to be from JBLM
A widely shared video posted to social media Monday showed chaos at Kabul’s main airport in Afghanistan as the United States rushed to evacuate Americans, diplomats and civilians while the Taliban took control of the capital.
Video shows a U.S. Air Force jet taxiing down the runway with “62nd AW” and “446th AW” painted on the side. Thousands of people ran alongside the jet and some clung to its sides. The Associated Press reported at least seven people died amid the mayhem.
Both the 62nd and 446th air wings are based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and their C-17s sport the 62nd AW and 446th AW designations near their noses.
“The wing’s tasking requirements range from supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas,” according to the 62nd Air Wing website..
JBLM spokesperson Joe Piek said he had seen the video but could not comment. Sarah Amato, 62nd Airlift Wing spokesperson, said she could not provide details of the unit’s missions “due to operational security,” and directed The News Tribune to the Department of Defense.
A press officer on the Defense department’s general line said the department couldn’t confirm the location of specific units but plane markings are generally a good indicator of their unit designation.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 1:54 PM.
