Airmen make combat milestone

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Technical Sergeant Jose Rodriguez (right) assists Staff Sgt. Andres Jaramillo in securing bolts during a function check on the EC-130 Compass Call. Both are members of the 41st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit and are deployed out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Airmen make combat milestone

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Staff Sergeant Andres Jaramillo and Tech Sgt. Jose Rodriguez, both from the 41st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit, work on the EC-130 Compass Call, here July 6. The EC-130H Compass Call is an airborne tactical weapon system using a heavily modified version of the C-130 Hercules airframe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Airmen make combat milestone

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Staff Sergeant Andres Jaramillo secures the bolts on the wing of the EC-130 Compass Call, while Tech. Sgt. Jose Rodriguez sets a ladder in place so he can begin to work on the propellers of the aircraft. Both are members of the 41st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit and are deployed out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Airmen make combat milestone while supporting Coalition operations in Afghanistan

Published July 9, 2009
By Capt. David Faggard
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- Taking the fight to the enemy, Airmen here hit a major milestone today when they completed their 2,000th combat mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The aircrew on-board the EC-130H Compass Call provided direct support to Coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.

The Airmen are assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing's 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron and are deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.

The mission was like any other, according to Capt. Kelly Weber, a Compass Call pilot from Ft. Worth, Texas. "It was a very rewarding mission," he said while not discussing the exact details of the sortie due to operational security.

Often called a "Super-E" model, some of the EC-130H aircraft are more than 40 years old. The aircraft's electronics disrupt enemy command and control and are often used to attack hostile communications.

"We're a small community with a small inventory of aircraft," said Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Chris Kirschman. "We're one hundred percent committed to the mission and this couldn't get done without our great maintainers on the ground."

The three crewmembers discussing the mission, none of whom were in the Air Force on Sept. 11, 2001, weren't even aware that it was such a monumental flight.

It was almost "routine," said Staff Sgt. Ashley House, from Portsmouth Va., as Airmen from around the world are in the skies and on the ground supporting operations here.

The mission was about seven hours and supporting the Coalition forces was "very rewarding," said First Lt. Lori Brophy, an Electronic Warfare Officer, from Raymond, Ne. "They're very professional and know what capabilities we bring to the fight."