Free Republic

SOUTHWEST ASIA — Joint combat environments don't just exist on the ground, but also exist in the sky above Iraq. U.S. Army Soldiers serve as crewmembers on the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft. An Army deputy mission crew commander and two enlisted personnel form a team of three soldiers on the 21-person JSTARS crew to assist in finding, fixing, tracking, targeting and engaging enemy forces throughout Iraq. "They're a vital part of the crew; we're together whether at home or deployed. We fly, fight, and win together as one joint team," said Lt. Col. Joe Schmidt, the...

7/6/2006 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Aircrews from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron airdropped something special on the Fourth of July for Soldiers at some of the most remote forward operating bases throughout Afghanistan. The 230th birthday of the United States proved to be another hot, dusty day here, but thanks to the C-130 Hercules crews and Army senior leaders from the Combined Joint Task Force-76, Soldiers on the ground knew they weren't forgotten. In all, 14 container delivery system bundles weighing 1,500 pounds each were airdropped to seven locations in Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Blake Gettys, the 774th...

A U.S. Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker refuels a B-52 Stratofortress on a mission in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, March 13, 2006. The B-52 provides close air support for ground troops in Afganistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Douglas Nicodemus Aircrews Refuel B-52s in Flight for the Fight In six short weeks, KC-135s here have delivered more than 11 million pounds of fuel to B-52s that have flown forward into Afghan airspace providing close air support for U.S. and coalition forces on the ground. By U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Scott King OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, March 17,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – U.S. and coalition aircrews flew combat and support missions Dec. 27 in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward officials reported. In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 36 close air support missions. U.S. Air Force F-16s destroyed enemy positions and vehicles near Hawijah with precision-guided munitions. F-15s and F-16s provided close air support to coalition troops near Balad. The F-15s struck an enemy mortar location, and the F-16s hit an insurgent building. Eleven U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in Iraq. British Royal...

FORT DIX, N.J. (AFPN) -- C-5 Galaxy aircrews must tape over some white lights in the cockpit of their huge aircraft before missions into a “blacked out” environment when they must use night vision goggles. Sometimes crews use flashlights or even pull circuit breakers and light bulbs for other light systems to minimize the visual “wash out” effects lights have on their sensitive goggles. Then Air Mobility Battlelab innovators here came up with a solution. This week, command officials at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., approved use of the C-5 Aviator Night Vision Lighting system. This is a portable “clip-on”...