Boyd Badali bolted upright in his bed.
Sirens were blaring. The world was shaking. A picture fell from the wall of his hotel room and struck him in the head.
Badali leapt to make his way to the door, but suddenly changed his mind. Convinced the floor was about to collapse, he decided to ride out the quake on his bed. Maybe, he thought, it would help break his fall. Or maybe, he thought, this was the end.
Badali and four other members of the Utah Air National Guard had arrived in Santiago, Chile, 11 days earlier to help train members of the Chilean military to fly a recently purchased KC-135 refueling tanker. The team's mission shifted, however, in the aftermath of one of the largest recorded earthquakes in history.
Now they're using the tanker to transport supplies, personnel and humanitarian aid throughout the South American nation, where more than 900 people were killed, tens of thousands were displaced and billions of dollars in damages have been recorded.
Since the Feb. 27 quake, the Utah airmen -- along with fellow Guardsmen from Texas and trainees from Chile -- have transported medical supplies, field kitchens, firefighters, tents and other supplies throughout the nation, including to the hard-hit city of Concepción, which is located about 70 miles from the 8.8-magnitude shaker's epicenter. Guard officials said the airmen were the first U.S. military members to be able to offer aid in the disaster.
Badali was also able to render immediate support to a family that was stuck in their hotel room -- racing up 12 flights of stairs, just minutes after the quake to help break down a stuck door.
He said he was only doing what everyone else was doing -- helping out in a time of need.
Crew member Joe Mace said he has been impressed by how Chile's citizens have come together to respond to the disaster.
"It reminds me of 9-11, in the United States, when everyone was flying the flag and the patriotism was so high," Mace said. "The people here truly love their country and are very proud of what they have."
The crew members were all grateful to be safe and to be able to help, all while getting incomparable experience. But Clint Hutchings is hoping he won't ever have to live through such an experience again.
"This was my first earthquake," he said. "I'm sure it won't be my last -- but hopefully the next one won't be an 8.8."
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