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386th AEW participates in Kuwait 50/20 event

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrice Clarke
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  February marks major milestones for one of the United States' allies, the Nation of Kuwait. Throughout the entire month, the people of Kuwait have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of their independence from Great Britain as well as 20 years of liberation from Iraq. The 50/20 celebration, which Kuwait has designated as their "Golden Jubilee," culminated this week with a number of large celebrations in which the members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing proudly participated.

One such event was a National Day celebration Feb. 24 held at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait in which a 386th AEW member was chosen to contribute his musical talents to the ceremony. Senior Airman Samuel Bunting, a knowledge operations manager with the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron and an avid bugle player, played Taps at the U.S. Embassy.

"I was asked to participate by [Col. Patrick Mordente, 386th AEW commander]," said Airman Bunting. "He remembered my playing at a previous event and thought I would be perfect to play Taps at this event. I felt honored to even be considered."

The guest list for the National Day celebration at the embassy boasted many Kuwait and U.S. military leaders. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) was also a part of the celebration.

"Working with the U.S. Army Old Guard was an honor; some of the Soldiers in that unit have guarded the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington," said Airman Bunting. "It was almost like the events you see on television where the honor guard is saluting and the bugler is given the signal to play. You just never expect it to happen to you and in that very short moment all eyes are on you."

Highlighting the Kuwait 50/20 events was a large military parade and air demonstration Feb. 26. The members of the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron provided an integral piece to the celebration - the communications piece.

"We were tasked to set up ground-to-air communications for the air demonstration portion of the Kuwait 50/20 celebration," said Master Sgt. Reggie Felty, a radio frequency transmission NCOIC with the 386th ECS. "That included setting up a mobile air traffic control tower and providing all the equipment for the air boss to communicate."

Sergeant Felty, a Grayson, Ky., native, and his six-person team were proud to be able to lend their support to such a historic occasion.

"I'm really proud of how my team handled the entire event and how smooth everything went," said Sergeant Felty. "At the beginning, handling this event seemed like such a daunting task but everyone stepped up and did their part to really help make the celebration a success."

The celebration took new meaning for Sergeant Felty, who could remember the end of Operation Desert Storm when he joined the military 20 years ago.

"I remember seeing military members returning from Operation DESERT STORM while I was at my first duty station," said Sergeant Felty. "Now, 20 years later, to be here and be a part of their celebration is amazing. It takes me back to the Fourth of July. It was very uplifting."

Members of the 386th AEW also took to the sky for the Kuwait 50/20 celebration.

Maj. Tim Townsend, the assistant director of operations for the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, was the crew commander of the C-130H Hercules participating in a flyby over the large military parade, one of the highlights of the Kuwait 50/20 events.

The flyby featured several U.S. aircraft from around the Air Forces Central Command Area of Responsibility, including F-16 Fighting Falcons, F-18 Hornets, F-15C Eagles, E-8 Joint Star, E-3 AWACS, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender, UH60 Blackhawks and SH60 Blackhawks. Myriad Coalition aircraft also participated in the flyby.

"We were just one of the aircraft used during this large event," said Major Townsend, who is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, when not deployed. "There were U.S. Navy, Army and other Air Force aircraft as part of the event. I'm very honored to be asked to command this aircraft. It's a huge deal for the Kuwaitis and I'm flattered to be a part of it. This is just one more event that further strengthens the bond between the U.S. and Kuwait."

Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s cemented that bond between the U.S. and Kuwait. The morning of Aug. 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein's forces took Kuwait by force. Within five days of the invasion, U.S. forces had deployed to the region with a clear objective to restore Kuwait's legitimate government and ensure the withdrawal of all Iraqi forces.

With a coalition of more than 32 different nations and U.S. forces numbers topping out around 697,000, once begun, the air and ground campaign were over quickly.

During the 42-day air campaign more than 100,000 sorties were flown and 88,500 tons of bombs were dropped destroying military targets. The ground campaign took 100 hours and forced Iraq's more than 545,000 forces to make a full retreat ensuring the liberation of Kuwait.