The FReeper Foxhole - AFSOC - Masters of Invisibility - September 11, 2004

Air Force Magazine ^

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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USAF Special Operations Forces



Masters of Invisibility

In Afghanistan, the work of USAF Special Operations Forces was not seen but most assuredly felt.
Masters of Invisibility
By Richard J. Newman

It wasn't standard procedure, but the circumstances called for urgent action. North of Kandahar in Afghanistan, several US soldiers had been gravely wounded. Enemy forces were reported to the south. It was broad daylight, and local Afghans--loyalties unknown--were watching from surrounding hillsides. Soon, two MH-53 Pave Low helicopters--Chalk 1 and Chalk 2--from USAF's 20th Special Operations Squadron were speeding toward the site.

As they did so, a medic on Chalk 1 pointed out that there was a great oddity to this particular mission. "This is something I thought I'd never see," he said, "Afghanistan in the daytime."

Literally and figuratively, USAF Special Operations Forces stay in the shadows. These "air commandos," like their Army and Navy counterparts, use darkness as a cloaking device that helps them achieve maximum advantage against enemies who lack the technology and training to fight at night.



In a way, Air Force operators are more circumspect than special units from other services. Air Force SOF are rarely the trigger-pullers, so much of the attention for wartime exploits tends to go to the combat forces that the air commandos support. Other special operator units, such as the Navy SEALs and the Army's Special Forces, Rangers, and Delta Force, produce more news.

"You have to be quiet to do our business," said Lt. Gen. Paul V. Hester, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla. "We move underneath the radar."

Though they were tough to spot in Afghanistan, USAF's air commandos were deeply involved in Operation Enduring Freedom and instrumental in its success.

Troops from Hurlburt fought alongside Army and Navy special operators on the ground in Afghanistan, calling in air strikes and rescuing comrades in danger. On many missions, they transported ground troops into and out of combat zones, in darkness and secrecy. SOF cargo aircraft dropped tons of supplies to US ground forces. And obscure specialists such as combat weathermen spent dangerous weeks in remote outposts gathering the various kinds of information needed in battle.



All Skills Needed

"We had the opportunity to demonstrate and employ every single skill we train to," said Brig. Gen. (sel.) Lyle M. Koenig Jr., commander of the 16th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt.

So invisible are the air commandos that many of their wartime exploits have been attributed to others. Throughout the war, for instance, news reports routinely credited Army Special Forces (the Green Berets) with calling in the air strikes that enabled the Northern Alliance's rout of Taliban forces.

In reality, USAF combat controllers called in about 85 percent of all air strikes in the war, according to Col. Robert Holmes, commander of the 720th Special Tactics Group at Hurlburt, which includes combat controllers, pararescuemen, and combat weathermen.

Typically, Central Command would assign one or two AFSOC specialists to each 12-person Green Beret team, known as an Operational Detachment Alpha, or ODA. While Green Beret ODAs train in spotting targets, Air Force combat controllers have more specialized knowledge and are used to working more closely with pilots.

Technical Sergeant Calvin (last name withheld), for instance, was one of several combat controllers sent to Uzbekistan in mid-October of last year. He was quickly teamed with an ODA that infiltrated to a location north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 19, meeting up with troops of the Northern Alliance. They were the first US team to hook up with the anti-Taliban forces.



"There was a little bit of tension at first," Calvin said, noting that the strange bedfellows took some time to size up each other. Within 30 hours, however, the team had called in its first air strike against nearby Taliban forces. "An immediate rapport was built," Calvin recalled.

Over ensuing days, Calvin's team moved stealthily among some 10 observation posts, finding Taliban targets as air strikes whittled the enemy down. "You work big to little," he said. He meant that the top priorities would be targets like military convoys, troop concentrations, tanks, or anti-aircraft guns. In addition to lasing targets or pinpointing coordinates for prompt strikes, Calvin and his team would analyze the enemy's order of battle and develop detailed targeting plans. Each night, they'd prepare a list of roughly five to 20 suggested targets and transmit the intelligence up the chain of command. Other targets obtained through other intelligence channels would come back down.

Virtually all of the proposed targets were approved. This marked a stark contrast with USAF's experience in the Kosovo war, during which hundreds of targets were put on no-strike lists because of concerns about collateral damage. "Rules of engagement," said Hester, "become much more liberal when you have physical eyes on the target"--an advantage lacking in Kosovo.

Overall, Calvin counts about 500 targets he helped identify and destroy.


These two photos show the view to which special operators are accustomed--Afghanistan through night vision goggles. Top, an MC-130 Combat Talon refueler awaits the arrival of Pave Lows. Here, a gunner on the ramp of an MH-53J scans the ground for enemy fire. (USAF photos by TSgt. Scott Reed )

The Real Pros

He and other combat controllers added depth to the ODAs' targeting expertise. Air Force controllers study the capabilities of surface-to-air missiles, and they routinely rehearse close air support procedures with Air Force pilots. "A lot of people say they can do this job," said Holmes, "but our airmen understand the view of the battlespace, they understand airspace management. They know which weapon to use and how to bring it in." They can also suggest ways to "fuse" weapons systems, or use different aircraft together to go after challenging targets.

At first, Calvin's team encountered a determined enemy.

"Sometimes, we'd take indirect fire, when they were just trying to fish something out," he recalled. "But when they found out our positions, we'd come under direct fire and get behind walls, get into the bunkers."

Enemy barrages could last as long as 30 minutes, until the spotters moved to another location or US air strikes silenced the guns. On the day the Northern Alliance began its final offensive, "we came under really heavy machine-gun fire," Calvin said. "We became high-value targets."

It quickly became apparent to the Americans that the Taliban's forces were badly overmatched.

"I don't think the enemy knew what was happening to them," said Calvin, who noted that Taliban and al Qaeda fighters talked over unsecure radios and thus allowed Calvin's team to listen in as they described the effectiveness of air strikes. "We'd get on-the-spot BDA [Bomb Damage Assessment] and correct based on that." Nor did the Taliban seem to learn quickly: "We'd see a convoy at night with its lights on. We'd get it, and an hour later here would come another one."

Even so, operating in Afghanistan without the slightest supply post nearby was arduous. Although they moved by horse and made do with local food, the ODAs still relied heavily on computers to upload and download intelligence information and to analyze targets. Global Positioning System devices were crucial. Some units deployed without the latest laser range finders, which had to be flown in later. Batteries for all of that equipment were forever running down. Resupplying key items, in terrain with virtually no road infrastructure, was a top priority from the beginning.

That's why the first deployments to the theater included many units besides those that would be operating in Afghanistan. On Sept. 20, for instance, just nine days after the terrorist attacks that opened the war, the 9th SOS from Eglin AFB, Fla., was heading overseas, not sure where it would end up.


Combat controllers in Afghanistan made do with local food and transportation but still relied heavily on computers to analyze targets. Global Positioning Satellite devices were crucial to the mission. (USAF photo)

The Refueling Task

Like many units, the 9th filled an important niche that would be crucial during combat operations. The squadron operates MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft. They function primarily as refueling tankers for helicopters. They would be a key link in any operations to infiltrate ground troops, and they proved to be a vital component of the search-and-rescue capability Central Command insisted on having on hand, in case any of the pilots flying over Afghanistan got shot down.

There were several alerts, but no shootdowns. The only rescues staged by the 9th involved a news photographer and a US soldier who developed altitude sickness. As ground troops began to enter Afghanistan, the MC-130s began to refuel the helicopters ferrying them in.

"It went smoothly, but Mother Nature conspired against us," said Lt. Col. Dan Fernandez, the squadron commander. Sandstorms and bad weather caused many mission aborts.



Ground troops worked their way in, though, and as they began operating inside Afghanistan, the mission of the 9th turned to the resupply of these forces. The ODAs' teammates in the rear would typically prepare bundles containing bullets, water, medicine, lasing equipment, and all the other gear the troops in country needed.

They'd deliver the bundles to units like the 9th, with prearranged drop zones. The MC-130s would then fly low and fast toward the drop zones. As they neared, there was a brief window of time when the ground units would contact the aircraft by radio to finalize the details. Punctuality was crucial. If the aircraft arrived late, the mission would most likely have to be scrapped, since the troops on the ground could only expose themselves at a drop zone for a few moments. In addition to the timing, the challenge, said Fernandez, "was trying to get it to them and make sure no one else gets it."

Occasionally, there was firsthand evidence of the impact of the resupply effort. During the Northern Alliance's mid-November siege of Kunduz, there was an urgent request for batteries. The bundle arrived late on the tarmac. The MC-130 took off with the haste of a fire truck heading to a blaze, and the crew made the drop zone on time. The troops got the batteries in time to power up the equipment they were using to call in air strikes during the offensive.

"We got to hear them calling in B-52 strikes using the batteries we had just delivered," beamed SSgt. Jule Stratton, a loadmaster with the 9th.


AC-130 gunships--another facet of USAF special operations forces--were used in Afghanistan to protect troops on the ground and to strike designated targets. Here, an AC-130H crew mans their heavy guns. (Staff photo by Guy Aceto)

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

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The Toughest Mission

A slew of other support troops helped orchestrate the complex airborne ballet and pick up the slack when complications arose. A team from the 16th Operations Support Squadron from Hurlburt, for example, helicoptered into Afghanistan to evacuate an American soldier who came down with viral meningitis. Flying the eight-hour mission from a rear base in Uzbekistan--at elevations as high as 18,000 feet, with no heat--was the most challenging mission he faced during the war, said Capt. Scott Shepard, an aviation physician's assistant.

SSgt. Steven Cum, a paramedic with the 16th OSS, found himself doing triage on a planeload of injured Americans after a friendly fire incident Dec. 5. "We train for it," said Cum, "but I never thought I'd actually do it."

The early phases of the war focused on northern Afghanistan, but air commandos were also busy in southern Afghanistan and on bases in Pakistan and elsewhere. When the terrain is tough and the environment is "nonpermissive," as was the case in Afghanistan, helicopters are the preferred method of infiltrating special operations ground troops. In mid-November, crews from the 20th SOS did begin to carry out such missions in the Pave Lows.



The distance from bases in Pakistan--and even from the carrier Kitty Hawk in the Arabian Sea--led to grueling flights of 12 to 15 hours duration, involving multiple refuelings. And the Pave Lows, slower than an airplane, were vulnerable to ground fire when they were flying low.

"I took one bullet in my cabin--an AK-47 round--that would have taken a guy's head off," said Captain William (last name withheld), a Pave Low pilot.

To transport more troops into Afghanistan more quickly, Central Command began to assess other ways to fly airplanes into the country. Combat controllers from the 720th began analyzing possible airstrips. First they would do a 3-D terrain analysis using mapping data.

Once they identified dried lake beds, dirt strips, and other potential landing sites, they'd need some firsthand knowledge of the area. Teams would fly in on helicopters, sometimes parachuting or rappelling down to the site. They'd check the compaction of the soil, measure distances, and walk the ground to get a careful look at the terrain. Usually they operated at night, using night vision goggles, and they would complete the analysis in one sortie.

Of 22 sites surveyed by the controllers, 15 became landing strips for C-130s and even for larger C-17s. The crews prepared for tough conditions. "We had shovels on all the aircraft if we had to dig a trench" to help fly the airplane out, said Senior Master Sergeant Tom (last name withheld), a loadmaster. They never had to use them.

The rudimentary airfields allowed Central Command to sneak in ground troops in much greater numbers. MC-130 Combat Talons, from the 16th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt, had conducted the first airdrop of troops into Afghanistan, a dramatic nighttime raid involving dozens of paratroopers that the Pentagon quickly publicized.


The Pararescue Jumpers have seen plenty of action in Afghanistan, evacuating injured troops under enemy fire. One PJ was killed in action during Operation Anaconda while trying to rescue a Navy SEAL. (USAF photo by TSgt. Mike Buytas)

Boots on the Ground

Being able to land airplanes in Afghanistan was far more important. Aircraft could ferry in vehicles like humvees and dune buggies and other gear needed to sustain ground troops. Combat Talons would sometimes drop off gear, then take off and fly orbits overhead for an hour or two. Fighters and AC-130 gunships--another branch of the air commandos--would circle nearby, ready to defend the troops exposed on the ground. Then the Combat Talons would land and pick up the packs the ground troops had swapped out. Overall, the majority of special operations troops inserted into Afghanistan were transported by Combat Talons landing on unimproved airfields.

The helicopters still had plenty to do, including the evacuation of friendly fire casualties on Dec. 5. The call came to the 20th SOS when many of the crew members--nocturnal, due to the nature of their jobs--were sleeping.

"As soon as you heard the words 'friendly fire,' the room erupted with energy," said Captain Steve (last name withheld), a Pave Low pilot. Two MH-53s were airborne within 45 minutes, but not quite sure where they were going. An Air Force combat controller at the scene was on the radio, trying to guide the helos in--even though his eardrums had been blown out and he couldn't hear.

Nobody was at the first location the -53s scouted. When they finally found their comrades, "the first thing we saw was a flag-draped stretcher," recounted Steve. That was one of three US deaths in the incident.



The two choppers set down in a bowl, about 150 yards from the wounded. "The casualties were a lot more than expected," explained Lieutenant Pat (last name withheld), commander of one of the aircraft. A group of unidentified locals gathered menacingly on a ridgeline overlooking the scene. After about 45 minutes on the ground, the Pave Lows lifted off, "cubed out"--or filled to the brim--with injured GIs.

Air Force Pararescue Jumpers--the PJs--worked feverishly on twisted limbs and wounds gushing blood in such volume that troops would have to hose out the helicopters on the ground. The injured arrived at Camp Rhino, the newly established Marine Corps base near Kandahar, and were quickly transported to hospitals in Germany and elsewhere.

As for the Pave Low pilots, they are reluctant to discuss other missions. "Let's just say [the Dec. 5 evacuation] was a good warm-up," said Lieutenant Paul (last name withheld), another crew member.



The PJs saw other action, too. They raced to the scene after one of the 9th SOS MC-130s crashed in February, only to find that difficult terrain prevented their helicopters from landing near the wreckage. To get to it, the PJs had to wade through more than 100 yards of waist-deep snow. When they reached the crash site, they had to cut through the skin of the fuselage to rescue one crewmember.

To the surprise of virtually everybody involved in the rescue, all eight crew members survived. As of March, the PJs had participated in four other recoveries in Afghanistan. One PJ died in combat during Operation Anaconda, while trying to rescue a Navy SEAL who had fallen from a helicopter. That loss, along with the death of a combat controller in the same incident, was a hard blow to the unit, said Holmes.

Nonetheless, the overall mood among the troops was and is exuberant. "Our group is very up because of all the things we train to do," said Holmes. "Without exception we have validated every mission."

Richard J. Newman is a former Washington, D.C.-based defense correspondent and senior editor for US News & World Report. He is now based in the New York office of US News. His most recent article for Air Force Magazine, "The Little Predator That Could," appeared in the March 2002.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

www.afa.org/magazine/June2002/0602master.asp

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



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[snippy_about_it]

John Kerry told the world we were war criminals who raped, tortured and murdered in Vietnam. Now, thirty-three years later, we will tell America the truth.

Join us at the rally we call:

What: A peaceful remembrance of those with whom we served in Vietnam - those who lived and those who died.
We will tell the story of their virtues and how that contrasts with the lies told by John Kerry.

When: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004 @ 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

Where: Upper Senate Park, Washington, D.C. It is easy to get to, shady and pretty, with a great view of the Capitol dome in back of the speaker's platform. THIS IS A NEW LOCATION AS OF 7/17/04

All Vietnam veterans and their families and supporters are asked to attend. Other veterans are invited as honored guests. This will be a peaceful event--no shouting or contact with others with different opinions. We fought for their rights then, and we respect their rights now. This is NOT a Republican or a pro-Bush rally. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike are warmly invited.

Our gathering is to remember those with whom we served, thereby giving the lie to John Kerry's smear against a generation of fine young men. B.G. "Jug" Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor," will be one of our speakers. Jug has debunked countless impostors who falsely claimed to be Vietnam veterans or who falsely claimed awards for heroism. Jug recommends that we refrain from dragging fatigues out of mothballs. Dress like America, like you do every day. Dress code: business casual, nice slacks, and shirt and shoes. No uniform remnants, please. Unit hats OK.

Selected members will wear badges identifying them as authorized to speak to the media about our event. Others who speak to the media will speak only for themselves.

The program will be controlled in an attempt to stay on-message. Speakers are encouraged not to engage in speculative criticism of John Kerry but (1) to stick to known and undisputed facts about John Kerry’s lies while (2) reminding America of the true honor and courage of our brothers in battle in Vietnam.

Send this announcement to 10 or more of your brothers! Bring them by car, bus, train or plane! Make this event one of pride in America, an event you would be proud to have your mother or your children attend.

Contact: kerrylied.com

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Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[Mudboy Slim]

"Lib'rals!!"
(To be sung to the Rolling Stones' "Angie")

Lib'rals...my FRiends...
When will yer hatred disappear?!
Leftists...my bro's...
Help tell Dem zealots, "NEVER HERE!!"
With good intents in their souls...
IGNORANT FOOLS...EVIL Goals!!
Please explain why Clinton Lied!!
But Lib'rals...my FRiends...
'Tis fer FReedom that FReepers Fight!!

Lib'rals...are ignorant...yeah...
Minion DOLTS...put HATE aside!!
Lib'rals...we'll still love ya...
MLK ain't fer gen-o-cide!!
All Left's dreams they were so close...
But they all went up in smoke!!
Let me whisper in Slick's ear,
"Osama...bil Clinton...YOU SHALL BE DETHRONED THIS YEAR!!!"

(Haunting keyboard solo)

So...daughters, gently sleep...
Fer yer futures, Right does FReep!!
Avenge Slick Willie's shameless crimes!!
And soldiers...Our Sons, please just know that "WE ARE RIGHT!!"

'Cuz there's lovin' in our souls...
And there's Honor in our goals!!
Fer yer FReedom we shall fight!!
'Cuz Lib'rals...FReepers love ya, baby...
Everywhere Left looks, they'll fear our Might!!
We won't let DemonRATS git their claws in you...
C'mon FReepers, Join OUR Fight!!
Lib'rals...Dimwits...ain't it good to be alive?!
Sosh'lists...my FRiends...you can't say MUD never tried...

Mudboy Slim (11/16/2002)

[SAMWolf]

Air Force Airman 1st Class James Blair coordinates air cover for Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers during an operation in the Sroghar Mountains of Afghanistan. Blair and other Tactical Air Control Party airmen are serving with special operations forces in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Blair is deployed from Fort Drum, N.Y. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson, USAF

Love those AC-130's! :-)

[snippy_about_it]

Hiya Mud.

[SAMWolf]

Evening Mud!

Lib'rals...are ignorant...yeah...

Boy! Do Snippy and I see proof of that every day!

[snippy_about_it]

I think I'll get some rest, too. ;-)

Good night Sam.

[Mudboy Slim]

"HUSSEIN!!"
(To be sung to Eric Clapton's "COCAINE")

If you wanna hang out...WE've gotta take him out, HUSSEIN!!!
If you wanna lay down...Baghdad's yer town, RATbrains!!
Soddom lies, he ain't Right, FReedomFight...Hussein!!

(ConservativeMusician rockin' it a tad...)

If you got RATviews, you needta sing MUD's blues...Be Sane!!
When yer fightin' THUGS, you need the Bigger Gun..."Prevail!!"
Willie lies, Slick's a SPY!! Let's INDICT...RATS' Shame!!

(ConservativeMusician workin' it like only a 20-year vet can...)

Pack yer things...yer gone, boy, you best just ride on, Hussein!!
Don't forget this fact, OUR Target's Yer Back, Hussein!!
Dubyuh's RIGHT...Soddom'sBlight...Right Shall Smite...Hussein!!

Clinton lied...Chi-Com SPY...Slick, WE'll Try...Clinton!!

(ConservativeMusician jammin' 'til fade)

Mudboy Slim (02/05/2003)

[SAMWolf]

Think I'll join you

Good Night Snippy

[SAMWolf]

Chi-Com SPY...Slick

He might as well have been, with all they got from his administration.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Chi-Com SPY...Slick"

"He might as well have been..."

I honestly believe the case can be made in a Court of Law...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Marine's Hymn"

From the Halls of Montezuma,
To the shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
and to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title of UNITED STATES MARINE.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun.
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far off northern lands
and in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job,
THE UNITED STATES MARINES.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve.
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded by
UNITED STATES MARINES

HOOOYYYYAAAAHHHH!!!!!

FReegards...MUD

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

Just in case we needed a reminder: "Not all terrorist networks answer to the same orders and same leaders, but all terrorists burn with the same hatred. They hate all who reject their grim vision of tyranny. They hate people who love freedom. They kill without mercy. They kill without shame. And they count their victories in the death of the innocent." --President Bush

Never forget!

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[Professional Engineer]

Aim High bump.

Thanks Snippy

[E.G.C.]

Good college football saturday morning to you, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[alfa6]

SOC Bump for the Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[snopercod]

Great story snippy. I didn't know anything about these guys.

Nor did the Taliban seem to learn quickly: "We'd see a convoy at night with its lights on. We'd get it, and an hour later here would come another one."

About what you would expect from a people who's mental development is stuck in the middle ages.

[Grzegorz 246]

Great post :-)