Chaffee Council Witnesses Military Training Exercise

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:47 AM CDT

By Jeff Arnold

TIMES RECORD • JARNOLD@SWTIMES.COM

An F-16 pilot who ejected from his aircraft when it was hit by "enemy fire" on Sunday was "rescued" Monday in a joint-military operation at Fort Chaffee.

The mock scenario was explained by Col. Kevin Wear, 188th Fighter Wing commander, to members of the 188th Fighter Wing/Fort Chaffee Community Council prior to commencement of the operation at Razorback Range.

Having ejected from his aircraft, the pilot found himself with a broken leg inside the perimeter of an enemy airfield.

Four A-10 aircraft from the 188th patrolled the skies overnight, keeping the downed pilot safe, until two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters carrying a U.S. Navy SEAL team could arrive for the rescue on Monday.

Capt. Andrew Nash, a 188th A-10 pilot, described the operation over a loud speaker for the council members as the A-10s struck targets in the "enemy" airfield, using both bombs and 30 mm cannons.

The speaker also carried the radio traffic from the pilots as they coordinated and executed air strikes.

The A-10s worked in tandem as one would mark the target and be followed by its counterpart that would lay down fire or drop ordinance.

The A-10s continued to provide air support for the pilot and the Blackhawks from Camp Robinson in Little Rock, as they arrived for their role in the rescue operation.

One Blackhawk inserted the SEAL team to extract the injured pilot, while the other joined the circling A-10s, providing air support against the advancing enemy force. The pilot was rescued with no casualties.

Wear told the council members he hoped to stage more of the live exercises in the future to illustrate the missions of the military’s men and women serving in areas like Iraq and Afghanistan.

The idea for a standing community council to represent local military interests arose from the hastily organized citizens group that persuaded the Defense Department´s Base Closure and Realignment Commission to change the mission of the 188th, instead of dissolving flight operations at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

Source: http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2008/04 ... news02.txt