Forum: Air Force Life

Anybody here ever support this operation (my squadron and I did out of Aviano) back in 1993 to 1995 collectively.

Got any stories to share, I got one (rather long one) but I'd like to hear yours

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Not actually there, but I always found it interesting that when Capt. Wright made his triple kill, Capt. O'Grady was his wingman. When Capt. O'Grady was shot down, Capt. Wright was on his wing that day.

Hey guys,

I was there in the end of Deny Flight with the RNLAF. Sept 95 till April 96. I worked supply/air freight at Villa Franca Di Verona aeroporto near Verona.

The Deny Flight operation was under the UN flag if I am not mistaken and in December of 95 it changed to IFOR under the NATO flag.

All I can remember is working long hours, 6 day weeks and 2 days off so by the second month we didn't know wich day it was since the weekend was on a Wednesday and Thursdays.

On these 2 days we mostly went skiing up on the mountains to get away from it all and be the tourist. Other than that I had a good time.

I did had to go to Aviano a dozen of times, The fog around Verona gets bad and the F-27 and or C-130's couldn't land at Verona so they diverted to Aviano. That was never fun so we had to put our pallets on trucks and haul them to Aviano that was only a 3 hour trip from Villa Franca.

I went back to Villa Franca aeroporto in 97 from April till Sept. This time for Deliberate guard, SFOR under the NATO flag again.

Well that's all folks

Henk

Somebody, somewhere, knows who the DCC of 89-2137 was in Feb. '94 at Aviano. Its as if the earth swallowed all the 526th people from that time whole.

henkster312 - yep, I too remember twelve (12) hour shifts turning aircraft around the clock, we flew (produced) a hell'va allot of sorties for that tasking.

The local towns (dining) and skiing was great, super wine and pasta, good looking girls, what could be better? Plus the chance to visit Italy, you folks ever get any three day passes or mid tour breaks, we did...good times but it did get old after 120 days, I was ready for a break when it came.

Last edited by Meathook on Mar 22, 2007 - 01:38 PM; edited 1 time in total

Now this is Not Bragging but I wanted to share a personal story with you folks from my last tour at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Its a bit long (a chapter of a book I am writing, so far it is still un-edited), I wrote this the same night of the event, I'll never forget it.

There may be a few of you who did this type of work daily or at some point in your Air Force life, if so, I salute your efforts, it was a huge wake up call for me (if you care to read the events of October 1994).

My last Combat Operation….
One night (while TDY to Aviano Air Base, Italy) I was talking with a friend and I discovered that there was a group (Special Operations Unit) on the base that was allowing passengers to ride with them in one of their EC-130 aircraft. The EC-130 is an electronic communication and jamming aircraft sometimes used for Command and Control in a combat zone. It is like the AWACS aircraft but instead of being a jet propelled aircraft, it is a reciprocating engine driven aircraft used for close ground and air support of troops.

I soon discovered that each mission was anywhere from eight hours to ten hours, the aircraft would circle the controlled combat zone and intercept communications both to and from enemy positions as well as friendly forces. I thought I would like to really see what the war is all about from the airborne point of view (it had been a long time since I put myself in harms way on purpose).

I looked into this flight further and discovered I just had to report to base operations to sign up for this ride. The aircraft would be circling the Bosnia-Herzegovina portion of the country communicating with British and US ground forces, I wanted to fly again, I missed it.

Of course, I checked with my squadron commander first since this was above and beyond my normal duties or job description. I explained to him what I wanted to do and to my surprise he agreed. He told me to be careful and enjoy the ride. I then went back to base operations and signed up for what I thought would be a “joy ride” and an education.

I was right about one part of my assumption! It would be an education! Strangely enough I really felt that I needed to do this. I was told I would be issued a 9 mm handgun just in case we got shot down (after all, this was a combat zone). I also had to attend a classified briefing that outlined the mission planning and objective during our flight, we were told it would be a very long one.

I elected not to tell my wife I had volunteered for this sortie, because I did not want to worry her. However, I did tell a friend of mine about it at Aviano and I guess he told someone else and thanks to the grapevine and a good friend of mine, Cherokee (my wife) did find out about this event just about the same time I took off.

At that time she was working at RAF Mildenhall's CD and Video center store. My buddy John Bieniek (C-141 Flight Engineer flying into Mildenhall later that day) ran into her and was just talking when he slipped the word about my flight over Bosnia. She became instantly worried and could not contact me; she had no idea if I was safe or why I had elected to do something like that after being in combat all those years ago in Vietnam.

For the last nine months, the 492nd FS (my current squadron) had eight F-15E Strike Eagles deployed to Aviano, Italy, to patrol the skies over Bosnia/Herzegovina. The expression "If you move it, you'll loose it" had become the motto of the squadron. We (I) helped produce over 1000 sorties in that period of time and we never had to drop any bombs or destroy anything that broke the United Nations Resolution Terms, when military equipment was moved within the "No Fly Zone".

Everyday the Serbs and Moslems had broken that agreement and shelled, destroyed their own cities in an internal land, religious and political dispute over control of the country. Now that the Soviet Unions government has fallen apart and control was given back to the former republics, it has been nothing short of mass murders and ethnic cleansing as we saw through the media and our (USAF) surveillance gathering.

I had deployed to Aviano for two months prior and had attended daily "Intel Briefs" concerning the movements within the "No Fly Zone" and the threats placed against our aircrews every time they flew. The build up of surface to air missile sites, triple "A" (anti-aircraft weapons) and MIG-21 bases had tripled in the last two months. This threat was almost equal to the threat the our forces had to contend with in the Gulf War (1), the only difference was the targets were dug deep into mountain ranges and tree lines and some are placed within the heart of some cities.

For twenty-four and a half years (at that point) I (the USAF) had been exercising for the threat of war. I had been deployed to different sites throughout the world and played "War Games" and suddenly, it was not game any longer. Men and machinery (from my squadron) went out on a daily basis to fly into a "live threat area" and risk "air to air combat". The whole time, I sat safely on the ground in Italy and awaited their safe (hopefully) return. Sometimes it made me feel like I was not doing enough, and I thought about the Gulf War, knowing that my wife Cherokee put her life on the line for six and a half months there.

She was right in the middle of the combat, launching sorties and repairing the weapons systems on the A-10 aircraft. She was involved in numerous "Scud Missile Attacks" and survived her fears and controlled her emotions during that crisis. I was and still am very proud of her for that!

I was always disappointed that I missed my calling to use my years of maintenance and management skills in the Gulf War because I had the bad timing to assigned to the Thunderbirds at that time. I wanted to feel the excitement and trill of being part of something so important the whole world was talking about it. So I volunteered to deploy to "Deny Flight" and produce aircraft to go into combat if needed but it still wasn’t enough!

Three weeks later, I was informed that "C-130 Gun Ships" and "EC-130" Airborne Battlefield Command and Control aircraft were requesting volunteers to fly aboard their aircraft to operate their weapons systems and man their threat warning systems (as backups). They would also take anyone willing to be trained and fly "Combat Sortie". I felt this was my chance to get into the heart of the operation, I knew it was dangerous and that both types of these aircraft normally come under enemy ground fire. But everyday someone else was taking the risks. I felt it was my turn so I volunteered! I thought I knew what I was getting into, but it turned out to be much, much more!

I had to see if I could over come the fear of combat again as I did when I was a Door Gunner in Vietnam manning 50 cal. on various helicopters. It had been twenty-four years since I felt I put my life in my own hands and I just had to do this.

When I signed up, I was asked questions about my background and asked when would I be available to fly (I told them about Nam and my past experiences). I told the mission controllers "anytime". I was told I would fly in a C-130 Gun Ship, and thought it was great, because it has four "Mini Guns" on board and could (if used) "place a round" in every square inch of a hundred yards of land area, the same size of a football field.

That is "massive fire power" and I would (or might) get the chance to man it! I jumped at the chance. I was called at work by "Special Ops" and was told that my flight would be on the 26th of October 1994 and we would be flying over Sarajevo providing ground cover to the United Nations Forces on the ground.

The night before the mission I was very excited and full of antici¬pation, not knowing what I would really feel if I had to open fire on ground troops. Without a doubt this weapon I was going to operate was very lethal and would surely kill anything under its path. But I thought about all the mass murders that the Serbs had committed and the hundreds of United Nations troops that had been shot at or killed.

I knew I could do it, so I was ready. The morning of 26 October 1994 I got up and showered very quickly and prepared myself, shaved, ate breakfast and took a last look at my room. I don't know why but I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything I guess. I got into my rental car and drove to "Special Operations", where upon my arrival I was informed the mission was canceled due to bad weather over the target area. I would be called when it was to be re-scheduled. I was disappointed but I knew there was nothing that could be done so I reported back to work on the flightline. I was upset that "mother nature" (weather) was against me today but I knew I would get another chance.

27 October 1994 (Thursday) I got a call that the Gun Ships were standing down and were to be sent off station to a classified area of operation and I would not be able to go with them. I was very upset but before I could vent my frustrations I was told that I could fly in the "EC-130" which is the aircraft that flies in the battle zone and controls all the aircraft that come into the conflict area. They are also updating the threats that they pick up with their "ECM" equipment (electronic warfare countermeasures) and would relay the information to the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control Systems Aircraft). We would also relay the information directly to the fighters that were patrolling the skies over Bosnia. It sounded exciting so I said I would do it, and was scheduled to fly the next day, Friday, the 28th October 1994.

My flight was scheduled for take off at 0730Z (Zulu Time), which is one hour earlier than local time or 0830 local. But first I had to have my "Intel Briefing"; a crew of fifteen of us went into a "secure room", which was sound proof with an armed guard placed at the front of the door. That was a little surprising but security was not taken likely. I received an in-depth briefing on the "Threats" that moved into the area and what to watch out for as we flew into our "Area of Operation".

The briefing lasted thirty minutes and I was quite surprised at the number of triple As (anti-aircraft guns) that were in place and the large number of surface to air missile sites (Sam's) we were to fly over just to get to their destination. The reality of the mission was starting to unfold. This would be no piece of cake!

After the mission briefing we were taken over to "Life Support" and fitted for survival equipment. I was given a flack jacket, vest with a hand held radio, locater beacon and first aid kit. Then I was given my 9mm pistol with one fifteen round clip and a "killing knife" as it was called. I also had to sign for a "Ransom Kit", which was a kit devised to be used if the aircraft went down and you survived the crash and had been captured. The kit had over five hundred dollars in Serbian money in it and several letters indicating that I was an American and if captured the money was to be a down payment for the government that would negotiate my release. WOW! I didn't have something like that in Vietnam, but $500.00 was not much for a deal.

The only problem was, when we were briefed, if we got shot down, the best thing to do is "NOT" get captured, of course because both the Serbs and Moslems were not to happy with the United Nations forces and they would torture and kill you. It was far better to fight your way out! I knew I was in the middle of it at that point. Before I could leave the room I had to sign a statement giving certain information about me that no one else would know. The Helo Crew that would try to rescue us in the event we were in need of it would use the form, and they gave me an authentication code that indicated who I was. I was now 45-E-LAYTO-R, and I had four block questions to fill out using anything that I could be asked and prove it was me that the rescue crew was talking to and not the enemy.

I also had to remove all pieces of identification from my person to be stored until I landed; all I could carry was my "Dog Tags" and "ID Card". For the official form, I decided the first block would have the information about the first car that I owned; next block described the current car I owned. Block three had the location in the United States I met my wife and block four had my ATM Card number in it!

It was all I could think of at the time, I didn't expect this! But I filled it out and hoped I would not have to use it. We had about ten minutes before we boarded the crew bus to take us out to the aircraft. Those ten minutes seemed to last for an hour, I thought about the mission I was about to under take and what the next 12 hours would bring, I was even
nervous, I had butterflies in my stomach.

Just before boarding the bus I was asked if I wanted to change my mind and not go. I asked why, and I was told that the "Threat" condition had just changed and the "Orbit Area" was just up-graded to "High Threat" and "Sam sites were hot". I paused for a moment and I didn't know what to say. I looked around and everyone else was still boarding the aircraft. I couldn't get myself to say no, but I have to admit I thought about it for a second or two. I had to take the chance like everyone else. I boarded the EC-130 and was given seat "12", which just happen to be by the exit door. I remember thinking I won't need that.... I hope!

The inside of the "EC" it was nothing like the Gun Ship. First of all, it had "No External Weapons" (Gun) to protect itself. That shocked me! All we had was the Chaff and Flare Modules in the event missiles fired us upon, you see Chaff canisters are used for "Radar" tracking missiles and Flare modules are used for "Heat Seeking" missiles. The chaff screws up the enemy radar.

The intent is for the missile to track the module verses the aircraft; most times it will work but not always! It got my attention that this aircraft was basically un-protected. The aircraft, call sign (I wont mention that) was my home for the next possible 12 hours; I was seated in front of a computer terminal, which assessed all airborne and ground based threats. It had the capabilities to talk with both AWACS and Fighter aircraft through a Satellite link-up. It also brought up a screen, which mapped the whole countryside and displayed all threats and their locations. It displayed our flight plan and the 45 mile by 25 mile "Box" we were going to fly in as we "Orbited" the battle area.

I had never seen anything like this before; I was given a COMM link with the mission commander, who was seated about four seats from me. It was my job to track and log any threats that had been displayed or any new threats we encountered by using the ECM system. If the existing systems went "active" I was to punch in a series of numbers immediately and let him (mission commander) know, we were all "hot wired" to each other (it was strange to say the least).

I watched as my system became active and all threats were posted, I was seated inside a capsule, which was inside the fuselage of the aircraft. It was a large cabin within a cabin, sort of speak, we were closed off from the rest of the aircraft. We had our own environmental control systems and oxygen systems. It was like being in a large computer cave with no way out once it was locked up. It was an eerie feeling but as I looked around I noticed the intense contention on everyone faces, this was it, the engines started.

After all four Turbo-Prop engines were rotating we were under way, we got an on-board crash briefing again and the next thing you know we were airborne. As soon as the aircraft wheels were in the wheel wells the computer terminal changed to live, which meant the system was hot and ready to go with threat updates but we would not be in the combat box as the guys called it for an hour. Our box for the day would be called "Lobster", and as I said earlier it was 45 miles by 25 miles in distance and right over Sarajevo.

Our altitude would vary between eight thousand feet to twenty three thousand feet, flying through mountains and the city. But for now everyone was involved in a final check of their terminals, including me. I couldn't believe I was actually sitting in this aircraft and working a threat board, I was about to become part of the real action again. After completing all the last minute checks we began the countdown to the threat area, twenty minutes from the boarder of Bosnia the threat boards were down loaded and updated from the AWACS that was flying over the Ionian Sea, about several hundred miles from the boarder. My threat board was covered in Red! My God, there were over three dozen different Sam sites and Triple-A Gun Sites we had to fly over just to get to our destination. The "SA-9 and SA-6 Sites" were some of the most highly developed surface to air missile sites in the world and they were in our flight path.

Not to mention the Triple-A Gun Site’s that are radar controlled, I had hoped that the maintenance people that installed the Chaff and Flare had their act together because my life might very well depend on it...real soon!
As we crossed over the boarder into Bosnia I wondered if my F-15E crews that flew these missions daily felt this nervous, I'm sure they did but they have the advantage of speed, and also had bombs, missiles, plus chaff and flare to get them out of trouble if they needed it. All we had was a slow flying aircraft with chaff and flare to get us out of trouble. I had also just found out that we had no "Cap Cover" today. That's fighters that fly above you to protect you from enemy fighter (Mig 21) attack. We were on our own! I have to admit, I was a little scared and felt un-protected; my little 9mm weapon would do absolutely nothing in the air too protect me.

I realized that I was to be a real target for the enemy! Very soon, we started tracking four new ground sites, this information would provide the AWACS and fighters with new targets, once they turned on their radar. Their locations could be traced and used in the event the UN authorized the use of force. But as I looked around the capsule all I saw was intense concentra¬tion. These people were dedicated to their jobs and I just put my face back into the board and got ready for what ever was to happen. Thirty seconds into the boarder crossing my board was lighting up like a Christmas tree, we were being tracked by an SA-9 Sam site. I passed the information to the Battle Staff; he plotted the location, passed it on to the AWACS and the fighters that were just out side the battle loop awaiting "Order's" to come in (as if we were bait). The pilot of our aircraft was tracking this one Sam site, thank goodness nothing happened! We pressed on with the mission; I couldn't believe the" Sam" didn't fire! We were an easy target, but I was very grateful it didn't fire.

We discovered four new Mig-21 bases and dozens of Triple-A, gun sites and over twenty "new" Sam sites in the next twenty minutes. We just kept updating the computers and other aircraft with this new information, we were tracked over ten times but never fired upon, I couldn't believe it. Four hours into the mission all hell broke loose. An AWACS reported that an enemy Attack helicopter was tracking us from the north of Sarajevo and was now entering the No-Fly Zone and heading our way. The copter was at flight level 250, very low to the ground over the mountains and had not showed up on our threat board yet. Moments later it did! The copter had locked on to us with a radar missile; we made a very fast turn 180 degrees to the left, which was towards the Ionian Sea.

The screen illuminated red again, he had us locked on, we continued to dive and turn, just then the "alert alarm went off"...the copter fired a missile at us! I couldn't believe it was ten miles away and coming right at us! I stared at the screen (it got closer and closer) and soon I had a tear in my eye. I thought I was going to die. I was thinking I would never see my family again and wondered if I had said everything to them the last time I talked with them that I should have said (funny in a way how you think things like that). Things you take for granted, like I love you, I need you, etc. I truly thought I’d never see them again and I saw every one of their faces in my screen (least in my minds eye), it happened ever so fast!

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of the Chaff going off, and several canisters were being used and I could actually see the image of the chaff on the screen. We continued towards the sea but made another ditch towards an industrial area with lots of buildings around it. We pumped out more chaff and to my surprise the missile was actually still tracking it! The then the missile lost contact with us and was chasing the chaff.

It was amazing, I saw that it really worked. I was watching the missile change course, it soon exploded over or in the industrial area. We were safe but the copter was still out there! The mission commander had already called the AWACS, which was watching this whole thing take place, the AWACS had called for one of the aircraft that was three minutes from us to respond to the copter and shoot it down. I could hear the whole conversation; I was plugged into four different nets.

The "UN Commander" was tracking it too, from a mobile command post. He authorized the strike, an F-16 responded, I was thinking how ironic it was, that an F-16 would come to my (our) rescue. I have served working this aircraft for ten years and traveled all over the world "showing it off" and now it was coming to my rescue. I thought this had to be fate! I tracked the copter as it got closer but I (none of us) didn't get any further "lock lights", it must have used the only missile it had.

I didn't care if it did or not, I wanted it shot down as much as anyone. The F-16 was locked on with it's missile and the helicopter must have had an ECM system also because it new it was in trouble and decided to land in a football field. The Falcon (F-16) fired the missile anyway! The copter was destroyed on the ground, everyone in the aircraft was cheering! It felt great to know that threat was destroyed!

We went immediately back into the threat area, the pilot radioed we were back in the” Lobster Box" as they called it! As quick as we attempted to leave it for the attack, we were right back into after the attack. Man, I couldn't believe it. I was proud of the little jet (F-16) and the "Chaff System" including the maintenance crews that made it work. It made me realize that I am just as important as the guys that fly these aircraft daily. Part of what I do everyday just paid off, it was a wonderful feeling to know it actually works. I was saved by something that I have been a part of for over twenty-four years. However, the mission was far from over!

We continued to track new targets and picked up new massive thread information form the east side of Sarajevo, a forward air controller (British) in Sarajevo was reporting that his troops were under fire. The weather was becoming terrible, the cloud cover was down to one thousand feet and almost impossible for an aircraft to get in and drop any bombs without taking civilian casualties. The British troops were being shelled (in a hell’va a fire fight) from howitzers and were taking ground fire. We couldn't do a thing about it! Everyone on board was upset, we wanted to do something! We switched our "Orbit" and were now over the city of Sarajevo!

We could track everything going on and continue to establish new threats; we stayed in the battle area for over three hours when we then devel¬oped a problem of our own. The pilot reported to the mission commander that our number four engine was loosing hydraulic fluid and could possible seize up and cause us to go into a slight spin due to the increased drag of the prop.
The pilot wanted to know if he could leave the area or did we need to stay because of the intensity of the battle. The mission controller stated we needed to stay and direct any aircraft that could support the British if the weather broke in our favor. The pilot said he would "feather" the engine (shut it down and let it free spin), that's just what he did!

We were now in a hot battle zone with only three of four engines working! But the dedication that the crew gave to this battle was above belief and I know that we were needed and it was dangerous. If something else was to attack us or track us we didn't have any speed to respond for our own get-away, we might be in deep trouble. We stayed in the "Zone" for another forty-five minutes under these conditions, but it was nothing compared to the pounding the British troops were taking on the ground.

I had more "flashes" on my board then I could imagine. Numerous targets appeared, I tracked them and passed them on, it was all I could do. Minutes later the pilot broke in and said the engine was seizing up and we had to leave the area or risk forcing down in a field! I listened as the mission commander, I knew he held all of our fates in his hands, and he did not want to leave the British on their own.

By some miracle, my own (492nd FS) Strike Eagles had been called into the area by the K-ACK (Battle Field General) from his headquarters in Italy. My jets, from my own squadron were now on site, I wanted to call out to them over the UHF Radio, their call signs were "Bolar 11 and Bolar 21". I wanted to let them know I was here and proud that they showed up to join us. After all, I'm the maintenance superintendent of this fighter squadron, and these were "my" guys but I couldn't use the radio, only the mission commander could.

Still was great knowing the F-15E's were on the scene. Earlier, all the "EC" guys were stating how great the Radar on the Strike Eagle was to them because of the great distances it can cover and to the depth of intensity of it's coverage. Now, the mission commander decided, because of the arrival of the Eagle's we could pass the battle coverage to them and AWACS and take our aircraft out of the "Zone" to get it home.

I knew there was nothing we could have done for the British unless the weather lifted, and then we would have (could have) directed "Strike Missions" against the Serbs. So it was up to "mother nature" what was to happen to the ground troops as far as "Air Support" was concerned. We were headed home, however, we continued to track and up-date threats all the way out of the "Box" until we passed over the coast of Bosnia. It took a little while for me to soak up everything that had happened to me in the last six hours. The mission commander asked me if I (or anyone else) would like to ride the rest of the flight home in the cockpit, and I said sure, they had a couple of seats free, we took turns!

As I mentioned earlier, there were no windows in the "Capsule”, only the computer screen, and it would be nice to see outside again. When I got there we were flying in solid clouds, we could not see a thing! The pilot said we would be flying like this for four hours! That means instruments, that always bothers me but these guys know their jobs and we had flown through all kinds of conditions in the last six hours so why worry now, right?
Well I found out that the Navigator (right seat) was getting a "Check Ride". What a time for a check ride! He was flying the aircraft and the pilot was an "IP" (instructor pilot), so I felt better, but as I was listening on the radio I heard him say his TACAN/ILS and Altimeter was going out.

However the AWACs aircraft was tracking us and had reported to Italy that our system was down or close to it. Not the best of all scenarios, we actually flew for the next hour in thick clouds, following a voice on the radio giving us altitude adjustments as needed. When we reached Aviano Air Base, Italy, it was poring down with rain, and we were still flying on three engines. The pilot declared an "IFE" (in-flight emergency) which gave us the right to land first, since there were a lot of F-16's flying up there with us, we were stacking up fast.

We landed without a problem, and it was one hell of a day! It felt great to land and be back on solid ground. I was very thankful to be alive and felt like I had actually contributed to the "Deny Flight Mission" (although I don’t know if that is true or not). I called my wife to let her know that I was fine, she had been worried sick for me (she was pissed off too).

If she only knew what I really went through, I don't know how she would have handled it, but she's a strong willed person and I got the chance to get this out of my system. I also gained back the importance I needed in my work, job satisfaction was there again and I knew what I (and all maintenance accomplished) was important.

Looking back, it was scary but it felt good and was very excit¬ing. I watched the news the next night and the Battle that I was part of was televised all over the "world news" and the papers (talking about the British Battle and air cover from NATO). It seems I got my wish. The twelve hour flight was cut short buy an emergency that turned into a seven hour flight but I made it home to talk about it. Thank God!

I remembered why I stayed in the U.S. Air Force, because it is an outstanding way of life and I'm grateful to be part (to have been) of it. This was the biggest single personal event for me at Aviano in a very long time - looking back I am still grateful for that experience.

Meathook wrote:

Now this is Not Bragging but I wanted to share a personal story with you folks from my last tour at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Its a bit long (a chapter of a book I am writing, so far it is un-editied at this point), I wrote this the same night, right after this sortie, I'll never forget it.

There may be a few of you who did this type of work daily or at some point in your Air Force life, if so, I salute your efforts, it was a huge wake up call for me (if you care to read the events of October 1994).

My last Combat Operation….
... I remembered why I stayed in the U.S. Air Force, because it is an outstanding way of life and I'm grateful to be part (to have been) of it. This was the biggest single personal event for me at Aviano.

Wow, and I thought I'd made some long posts... Great job Tom, and it's interesting to read about the battle from something other than a fighter. My Dad spent a lot of time in the back of the EC-130's over SEA.

Mike

Thanks Mike, it was my first and last ever EC-130 ride, I gained a whole bunch of respect for those folks.

I had not given it any thought before but I have since, lots of respect for them and all that strap a jet or prop on their backs going off into harms way. I am glad I experienced it, changed me big time.

I had forgotten that feeling of worth, these folks get it daily - Salute to your dad from me, I know he earned that and much more.

Great story Meathook - many thanks

Your welcome.....

Many thanks for your first-hand account, Meathook!

was happy to share....most amazing event for me too

Meathook, hell of a post or shoud I say hell of a long post! ha Had to take a nap on that one.....

I spent soem time TDY to AViano in the mid 90's, then was stationed there as an expeditor, flight chief during Kosovo. Nive place. Busy as hell and we had too many jets on the ramp (a lot of tows). Fkying about 27 jets out of 8 HAS' was interesting. Would go back in a heartbeat, but now I am on my way to Nellis to the Strike squadron to be the AMU superintendent. Gonna be intersting...

Stu

Sounds wonderful and it should be a very exciting assignment for you, of course the local area speaks for itself but the weather and flying, always (about 90% of the time) GREAT.

Best of luck "Superintendent" it was a long road to that spot huh, least it was for me. I Pro-Supered more than I could remember over the years but getting my own first "squadron"...well, that took the cake. It has its moments but overall, I loved my time in that role.

I found I could do more for my folks then any other time in my life. Be prepared to fight (for your folks, equipment, deployments and with Ops) but that goes with the turf.

Congratulations, I think even with the headaches, you should love it, least you can make a difference (within reason).

Best of luck.....I too would go back to Aviano in a heartbeat.

Quote:

The copter had locked on to us with a radar missile

No Yugoslav/Serbian/Bosnian helo ever carried radar guided AAMs. And it couldn't lock on with anything, since they had no radars on helicopters.

In fact, nobody in the world uses radar guided AAMs on choppers.

The only AAM armed Yugo helicopter is/was the Gazelle with 2 SA-7s, and those don't have a 10 miles range.

Maybe a SAM was launched at the EC-130 from the general direction of the helo, and since it was very low, that got you thinking it was the helo that fired?

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