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A-10 unit reaches 10,000 hour milestone

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan --  The 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron reached a historic milestone Feb. 24 when the unit surpassed 10,000 combat flight hours in the A-10 Thunderbolt II for a single deployment rotation at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

Col. Raymond "Donk" Strasburger, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group commander, and Lt. Col. Sam "Spam" Milam, 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, were the two pilots credited for reaching the milestone after completing a five-hour close air support mission in southern Afghanistan.

As the mission flight leader, Colonel Milam landed his A-10C Thunderbolt II first, and was welcomed out of his jet with a fire hose drenching by Army Lt. Col. George Chizmar, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing's ground liaison detachment commander.

"The 75th EFS has made [our organization] feel like part of their organization and they've become our family while deployed," explained Colonel Chizmar, a Pennsylvania National Guardsman who relays critical information from ground forces to the pilots during each mission. "I was honored to participate in this milestone event."

Colonel Strasburger received a much drier welcome from Colonel Milam who congratulated his wingman and old friend with a hand shake and a smile.

"We've had the opportunity to fight together in combat before," explained Colonel Strasburger, a Washington, D.C.-native. "He's [like my] brother and this was the first opportunity I've had to fly with 'Spam' during this rotation."

The two veteran pilots, who have worked together numerous times since Colonel Milam was a young lieutenant, said the milestone was a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of the Airmen at Bagram.

"Nothing happens without the dedication, self-sacrifice, and teamwork that ensures our aviators are at the right place at the right time with the right ordnance, and in a position to provide close air support to our embattled Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines," explained Colonel Strasburger, who has deployed to Bagram three times - including one tour in Colonel Milam's current position. "From ammo and our weapons loaders to fuels technicians, maintainers and life-support; there are hundreds of Airmen making a difference for our men and women on the ground."

The 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron is deployed here from the 75th Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The 75th FS has two sister squadrons, the 74th FS, which is scheduled to replace the 75th EFS here soon, and an Air Force Reserve squadron, the 76th FS. Both units are stationed at Moody AFB.

Together the three comprise the 23rd Fighter Group, famous for inheriting the name of the original "Flying Tigers," a group of American volunteer pilots who flew combat missions in Indo-China during the early days of World War II.

The group also made history as the first group to deploy fighter aircraft to Afghanistan in March 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"A-10s were the first tactical fighters to operate here because it was the only aircraft capable of operating with the conditions of the runway and taxiways," explained Colonel Milam.

Colonel Chizmar said the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the other Air Force assets added to the inventory here over the last seven years have provided vital support for American and coalition troops.

"Close air support is absolutely critical in the execution of ground operations throughout Afghanistan and is directly responsible for saving lives every day," he said. "Close air support is an enormous force multiplier in today's joint and coalition operational environment. It also offers the ground force commander a wide spectrum of response options in a precise and timely matter."

As time winds down on the 75th EFS's deployment, Colonel Milam reflected on some of the unique challenges his unit has faced including a two-month deployment extension and a surge in the number of daily sorties flown by more than 65 percent.

"Our total flight hours here will be slightly less than the entire fighter group back home flies in an entire year, but it was accomplished by a single squadron with less than its full complement of aircraft in less than six months time," the 19-year Air Force veteran from Quitman, Miss., explained. "This has been a unique deployment and this milestone is a manifestation of a great operations and maintenance team. Without the entire team focused 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week on getting the mission off the ground, this could not have happened."