A pararescueman with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron
A pararescueman with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron looks through rubble to find survivors at Sendai Airport, March 16. The dirt along the ground-level exterior walls shows just how high the water level ros... More
A Japanese front-end loader begins clearing debris
A Japanese front-end loader begins clearing debris at Sendai Airport to make the apron ready for aircraft.
A joint-service American survey team flies over the
A joint-service American survey team flies over the wreckage at Sendai Airport, March 13, two days after the massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged the eastern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu.
An orphaned shoe lies in the open trunk of a car displaced
An orphaned shoe lies in the open trunk of a car displaced by the March 11 tsunami. The massive tsunami created by the 9.0 earthquake earlier that day spared little and made no differentiations on who or what it claimed.
U.S. soldiers and Marines camp out in the passenger
U.S. soldiers and Marines camp out in the passenger terminal at Sendai Airport, March 28. The terminal provided protection from the elements at Sendai where the temperature often dropped below freezing, and the... More
A Japanese Flag waves proudly outside the main passenger
A Japanese Flag waves proudly outside the main passenger terminal at Sendai, exemplifying the hardy Japanese spirit shown in the Sendai Airport recovery effort. Once thought lost, the airport is now progressing... More
The first fixed-wing aircraft, an MC-130H Combat Talon
The first fixed-wing aircraft, an MC-130H Combat Talon II, lands at Sendai Airport, March 16, thanks to a collaborative effort between Japanese workers and the 320th Special Tactics Squadron.
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron shovel
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron shovel mud and silt off the main apron at Sendai Airport, March 16. The airmen of the 320th STS did their part to help clear the flightline, even if it meant using ... More
The 320th Special Tactics Squadron airfield commander
The 320th Special Tactics Squadron airfield commander directs the offload of the first C-17 Globemaster III, also the first jet aircraft, to land at Sendai Airport following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami ... More
Destroyed houses and businesses can be seen through
Destroyed houses and businesses can be seen through windows and openings from the passenger terminal at Sendai Airport, reminding onlookers of the long road ahead to rebuild the Sendai community.
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron fly up
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron fly up to Matsushima Air Base on an MC-130P Combat Shadow, March 16, to later drive to Sendai Airport to help clear and reopen the airfield.
Demolished cars sit in rows waiting to be carried off
Demolished cars sit in rows waiting to be carried off at Sendai Airport. The tsunami that hit, March 11, left a wake of crushed cars and other debris that needed to be cleared before the airport could resume no... More
Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group unload
Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group unload an MC-130 at Sendai Airport, bringing fuel and supplies to help rebuild Sendai.
A combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics
A combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron uses an all-terrain vehicle as a "follow me" car to guide an MC-130 through the taxiways at Sendai Airport. With limited resources, the airmen of the ... More
A Japanese dump truck drives alongside the passenger
A Japanese dump truck drives alongside the passenger terminal at Sendai Airport, March 28. The area was impassable only a week before due to large amounts of debris left by the March 11 tsunami.
Maj. John Traxler, 320th Special Tactics Squadron commander,
Maj. John Traxler, 320th Special Tactics Squadron commander, rushes to help two loadmasters from the 353rd Special Operations Group push a stack of empty aircraft pallets onto an MC-130P Combat Shadow at Sendai... More
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Sasha Fanger feeds a "tsunami
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Sasha Fanger feeds a "tsunami pig" found at Sendai Airport, March 28. Marines, airmen, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers donated food from their own rations to help feed the st... More
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron arrive
Members of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron arrive at Sendai Airport, March 16, and begin to assess the damage and what they can do to help.
Crushed lumber and houses fill a local waterway at
Crushed lumber and houses fill a local waterway at Sendai Airport after a massive tsunami swept through the area, March 11.
A member of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron sets
A member of the 320th Special Tactics Squadron sets up a satellite link for communications at Sendai Airport, March 16.
A combat controller walks down the main runway at Sendai
A combat controller walks down the main runway at Sendai Airport, measuring the useable area to see if a C-130 can land there, March 16.
A joint, bi-lateral team works to clear additional
A joint, bi-lateral team works to clear additional parts of the runways and taxiways at Sendai Airport, making it possible to land more, and larger, aircraft there.
Cracked tiles at the top floor of the passenger terminal
Cracked tiles at the top floor of the passenger terminal at Sendai Airport serve as a reminder of the massive 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan, March 11.
A pararescueman with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron
A pararescueman with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron searches the rubble at Sendai Airport, looking for survivors, March 16.
Flowers and a pair of boots stand in a stairwell landing
Flowers and a pair of boots stand in a stairwell landing against a backdrop of destruction at Sendai Airport, showing the stark contrast between the destruction at ground level left by the March 11 tsunami and ... More
The main clock in the departure terminal at Sendai
The main clock in the departure terminal at Sendai Airport stays frozen at 4 p.m. serving as a reminder to the time power was lost in the terminal, March 11.
A pallet of humanitarian aid from the American Red
A pallet of humanitarian aid from the American Red Cross sits on the flightline at Sendai Airport waiting for distribution, March 28.