After the burn: Fresh snow settles on scorched trees in a wildfire-ravaged landscape near Lake Arrowhead, Calif.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Duren Dunkelberger, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group, inspects 30 mm ammunition rounds for defects and damage before they are loaded on an A-10 Thunderbolt II here for combat. Dunkelberger is deployed here as Air Expeditionary Force Silver from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. U.S. Air Force photo
Bulldogs Replace Panthers at Bagram
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Russell Wicke
455th Expeditionary Operations Group
BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Nov. 5, 2003 — It’s dark outside. Even artificial lights are forbidden here at night. In a single file line, about 20 airmen make their way from the belly of a C-130 Hercules on the flightline. They follow the only visible mark: a blue glow stick held by their leading guide. Directly to the east is a minefield. Beyond that, the enemy waits on all sides.
Throughout the next few weeks many more will come in this fashion. The airmen come to relieve other airmen in the war on terrorism. They are part of Air Expeditionary Force Silver and the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
The 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Bulldogs will replace the 81st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron Panthers, out of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, as Air Expeditionary Force Silver replaces Air Expeditionary Force Blue.
“The biggest challenge with this is to have a seamless transition without mission degradation,” said Lt. Col. Richard Johnson, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group deputy commander. “The transition should be complete by mid-November.” Johnson is an A-10 pilot deployed from Spangdahlem.
Because this is an Army installation, airmen are the minority. Although the Air Force has multiple responsibilities here, the main mission is providing close air support for soldiers, which is airpower support in close proximity of friendly ground forces. At Bagram Air Base, this responsibility lies with the capable A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.