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  • MSgt. Robert Dinsmore: HH-60G Pave Hawk Gunner

    Master Sgt. Robert Dinsmore, an aerial gunner on 66th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, served in Afghanistan from February to May 2005 and in Iraq from December 2005 to March 2006.Click here to return to the From the Sky Overview.

  • C-17 Globemaster III's First Combat Drop

    In four nights beginning March 25, 2003, C-17s airdropped an entire brigade -- nearly 2,000 paratroopers and 400 vehicles -- into northern Iraq. This mission was the first combat personnel airdrop from C-17s, and the 15-ship formation was the largest flown by C-17s up to that time. The crew of the

  • A-10 Thunderbolt: Close Air Support, Close Cooperation

    On April 6, 2003, Lt. Col. Raymond Strasburger and Capt. Gregory Thornton, A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots in the 75th Fighter Squadron, were operating near Baghdad when they heard a ground forward air controller call out: "We are taking heavy fire, we need you now!" Strasburger and Thornton made

  • Unarmed Tanker in Combat Search and Rescue

    On April 7, 2003, an unarmed KC-135 Stratotanker's crew put themselves in harm's way to help the crew of a downed F-15E. The KC-135 crew flew into hostile airspace north of Baghdad, Iraq, to refuel aircraft involved in the rescue, some of which were critically low on fuel. All four crewmembers, from

  • Lancer Crew's Quick Response

    On April 7, 2003, a B-1B Lancer crew from the 28th Bomb Wing diverted to hit a newly-identified high-value target. They quickly found and destroyed the target in twelve minutes using four precision-guided bombs. They also struck an additional fifteen other targets on the mission, including

  • From the Sky Overview

    Air Force air operations played a vital role in the initial stages of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and continue to do so in ongoing operations. USAF aircrews are constantly overhead, precisely striking enemy targets on the ground, providing flexible and substantial airlift, and

  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal

    Initial Success or Total FailureWhen the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) makes an area too dangerous for normal operations, the U.S. Air Force relies upon its highly-trained Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians to make the area safe. Approaching their dangerous job with the grim humor

  • Duty First, Always Ready

    Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) personnel form an elite group of Air Force warriors. It is one of the few front-line combat jobs in the Air Force. TACP members bring overwhelming firepower to the battlefield. These Airmen accompany forward Army units to direct combat aircraft engaged in close air

  • Expeditionary Combat Airmen Overview

    In addition to Battlefield Airmen, other USAF officers and enlisted known as Expeditionary Combat Airmen are in the fight on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.Air liaison officers (ALOs) are fighter or bomber aircrew who direct close air support strikes as members of tactical air control parties on

  • Rocket-Propelled Grenades: Old Threat, New Danger

    The RPG-7 has become a weapon of choice among terrorists and insurgents. Somali militiamen used RPG-7s to down two U.S. Army helicopters in Mogadishu in 1993. The RPG-7 is commonly used by enemy forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, who employ them against vehicle convoys, checkpoints and