Airmen prep battlefield dropping 120,000 leaflets

24 July 07
by Capt. Teresa Sullivan
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) - Airmen of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing dropped 120,000 leaflets over the Helmand Province in Afghanistan July 22 to help prevent civilian casualties while prepping the battlefield for future operations.

The nine-member crew of the 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, all based out of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, successfully accomplished a short-notice mission to release leaflets over four southwestern Afghanistan drop zones in a dangerous Taliban hot spot, despite challenging winds and dust storms.

The leaflets were designed to deliver a message to the people of the province to take refuge in their homes and also discourage them from harboring Taliban members. In the meantime, coalition forces continue efforts to eliminate the insurgent's stronghold while avoiding loss of innocent lives.

The mission began several days prior to C-130 Hercules' takeoff when the squadron was alerted and planners began developing their strategy. Their computer-based plan considered route, location, wind forecasts and leaflet size in its calculations. High winds and dust storms throughout the area made planning a challenge.

Prior to the mission, the aircrew gathered to discuss the game plan.

"It's going to be a long night, but you are all prepared," said Lt. Col. Joe Sexton, the 746th EAS commander to the C-130 crew after the mission brief. "It's no coincidence that you all are on this (mission). I have full confidence in all of you. You guys are going to go out there and do it right."

Ready to put their plan to the test, they set off for the airdrop.

"We were originally scheduled to do a different mission, but we were alerted to come into work because we were going to be doing a 'special' mission," said Capt. Brett Cochran, a C-130 pilot and native of Pflugerville, Texas. The captain was responsible for flying the aircraft over four drop zones. "This is the first mission of this kind for our squadron during this deployment so far, so it's important we get things started on a good note."

A lot was on the minds of crew members who were new to the combat zone airdrop business. "What-if" discussions included the dust storms, fuel, shifting winds, contingency plans and defensive tactics on the way to Kandahar International Airport to pick up the leaflets.

The Air Force uses leaflets to deter enemy forces or reduce their will to fight. In this case they were being used to encourage innocent bystanders to stay out of harm's way. While the leaflet-drop mission may be new to some of the pilots of this expeditionary squadron, it's a mission that's tied closely to the 379th AEW's heritage.

In the summer of 1944, leaflets were dropped over Germany by the 379th's ancestor, the 379th Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force, intended to shape the adversary's psyche, and to destroy their ability to wage war.

Then 379th BG's leaflets were designed to spread the word on allied progress during World War II. Some provided words of encouragement to the people of enemy-occupied countries while others focused on relentless bombings of Nazi airfields, oil refineries and cities undermining the enemy's will to resist.

Knowing the wing's forefathers carried out similar missions 63 years ago reminded the aircrew that they're part of a long tradition of airpower.

"It's neat that we can continue on with the legacy," said 1st Lt. Mike Heddinger, a 746th EAS co-pilot from Wichita Falls, Texas. "It's also great that we'll be helping the guys on the ground by prepping the battlefield."

As the crew departed Kandahar for the Helmand Province, pilots reviewed their play book once more while loadmasters rehearsed the drop in their minds preparing the harnesses, oxygen tanks and boxes of leaflets.

"What we're going to do is line these boxes up as advertised and push them out the door at the right time," said Master Sgt. Larry Lambert, a 746th EAS senior loadmaster from Asbury, N.J.

The loadmasters in the back of the C-130 were responsible for the drop portion of the mission, communicating closely with the crew in the cockpit.

"We've been around the block a few times, so I can put my faith in the guys up front (of the C-130)," he said. "These leaflets can save innocent lives, so we're fired up to be a part of this."

As the aircraft approached the drop zone Sergeant Lambert established contact with his two loadmaster teammates using designated hand signals, letting them know when they were 20, 10, four, three, two and one minute away.

The crew was 5,000 feet above the target and everyone was fully prepared in safety gear. Within the hour the mission was complete. The crew went four for four over the Helmand Province, dropping the leaflets on time and on target. Within minutes it would be raining leaflets over the Helmand Province.

"It was a good day. We accomplished what we were asked to do," said Captain Cochran. "We completed the mission at hand and it's a great feeling."

This is what it's all about, said Maj. Pat O'Sullivan, the 746th EAS director of operations, from Sebring, Fla.

"We love this stuff. Missions like this drop with little to no notice," he said. "As soon as we received the word, they started moving, planning for and coordinating every possible scenario and variable. They were ready for every situation, guaranteeing a successful mission."

Photo - Tech. Sgt. Matt Rossi drops 30,000 leaflets July 22 over a drop zone in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan. The squadron successfully met their objective of dropping 120,000 leaflets over the Helmand Province, prepping the battlefield. Sergeant Rossi is a 746th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron instructor loadmaster. Photo by Capt. Teresa Sullivan.

This Week in Guard History: 10 June 2007

June 7, 1968: Tuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam - New Mexico's 188th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) arrives, becoming the third Air National Guard unit to serve in Vietnam.

Combined with New York's 136th TFS into the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, both squadrons immediately begin flying close ground support missions for American troops.

The two units are the only Guard units assigned to the same operational headquarters while serving in Vietnam. During the course of its tour, the 188th flies 6,029 sorties and loses three pilots in combat, including two missing in action and later declared killed.

The 136th flies nearly as many sorties and fortunately loses no members to combat, although it did have three pilots killed in stateside training. One member of the 188th, Sgt. Melvyn S. Montano, becomes a commissioned officer after the unit returns home, and in December 1994 he is appointed the adjutant general of New Mexico.

NGAUS History: 10 June 2007

Seven National Guard officers who had roles in the Normandy invasion represented NGAUS at a ceremony in France for the 10th anniversary of D-Day in 1954.

Maj. Gen. Ellard A. Walsh, NGAUS president, assembled the contingent after a resolution was adopted a year earlier at the 75th NGAUS General Conference in San Diego, Calif.

The delegation included Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord, Maj. Gen. William H. Harrison Jr., Maj. Gen. Karl F. Hausauer, Maj. Gen. William H. Sands, Maj. Gen. Jim Dan Hill, Maj. Gen. Donald W. McGowan and Brig. Gen. John M. Donalson.

Commander Sees Success in Iraqi Security Forces

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2007 – U.S. forces are continuing to see improvements in the abilities of the Iraqi security forces they are training, the commander of the Iraqi Assistance Group today told representatives of veterans service organizations during a conference call from Iraq.

“From the streets of Baghdad to the Iranian border, transition teams are providing high-quality advice and assistance to Iraq security force units,” said Army Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard, commander of the Iraq Assistance Group in charge of helping Iraqi military, police and border enforcement officials.

Pittard said his troops are working directly with Iraqi leaders from a variety of units to advise them in real-time scenarios and tactical operations. They also are assisting with the organization’s staffing and unit structures.

To help make Iraqi forces more effective, Pittard’s group serves as the key link between Multinational Corps Iraq, which commands operations in the country, and Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, which equips, mans and trains Iraqi security forces.

During the conference call, Pittard said he travels almost daily to engage with Iraqi leaders, noncommissioned officers and units who are making great strides in security enforcement throughout Iraq.

“I feel like I’ve been witnessing history in the making,” Pittard said. “I’ve watched very courageous Iraqi leaders make tough decisions and work hard to develop units capable of defending their homeland.”

He cited the commanders of Iraqi ground forces, the national police and department of border enforcement units as making extraordinary efforts and “stepping up to the plate” to put an end to sectarian influences.

Efforts along the Iraqi border haven’t always been a priority for the country, he said.

“Over the last year we’ve seen more of a priority from the Iraqi government and coalition forces in training and equipping the Department of Border Enforcement,” Pittard said.

After training and working with representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Iraqi forces are primarily focusing on the country’s borders with Iran and Syria.

Pittard compared this “tough job” to the issues the United States has in securing its border with Mexico.

Beginning in May, more than 100 former U.S. border patrol agents have been contracted to assist Iraqis in border operations, Pittard said. Two of these agents have been embedded with each 11-man border transition team.

Applying their knowledge from operations at the U.S./Mexico border, agents have assisted Iraqi border enforcement officials along the Syrian border in using a “layered” approach with checkpoints at and away from the border. Pittard said this has helped reduce illegal goods and foreign fighters coming across the border.

Despite recent problems at the Iranian border with smuggling explosively formed projectiles, border officials are seeing some success in their efforts, the general said.

“Whether you talk to a soldier in Iraq or a Marine in al Anbar and ask them if we’re winning or losing,” he said, “I’d say the majority would say we are winning.”

He said his troops are making slow, methodical progress, and efforts will require time and patience on the part of Americans and Iraqis.

“We know it’s a moral commitment,” he said. “We can’t leave this nation as a failed state in disarray. We owe it to the American people and the Iraqi people to leave Iraq as a stable nation that can govern and defend itself with the Iraqi security forces.”