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Compass Calls reach a high mark

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ian Carrier
  • 386 AEW/PA
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The trend of outstanding achievement here at the Rock has
continued with another milestone surpassed by one of the units of
the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. 

The 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron has overcome
the 10,000 combat hour mark with their EC-130H Compass
Call aircraft. The mark was hit Tuesday, 16 Jan. after a 7.4 hour
sortie, bringing the total hours at that point to 10,005.6.
10,000 combat hours is a great achievement for any group, according
to Lt. Col. Charles Owen, 43 EECS Commander. 

"This is a group effort, it doesn't represent one squadron," explained
Colonel Owen, citing that not only were members of the
43 EECS involved, but also the 755th Expeditionary Operational
Support Squadron and the 41st Expeditionary Electronic Combat
Squadron. And it wasn't just the fl ight crew. 

"Even though maintenance has split off from us, they have done
a phenomenal job. We couldn't have reached 10,000 hrs. without
them," said Colonel Owen. 

The 43 EECS has been in theater since March 3, 2004, deployed
at that time to Tallil AB, Iraq as 43 EECS, 407th Expeditionary
Operations Group, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. The
fi rst combat sortie fl own on March 18, 2004. The unit deployed to
the Rock June 24, 2004, as 43 EECS, 386th Expeditionary Operations
Group, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. 

43 EECS is comprised about 40 personnel; four crews and command
and support personnel. Equipped with EC-130H Compass
Call aircraft, the 43rd fl ies missions all over Iraq, serving as an
electronic attack platform to deny communications to the enemy,
acting as a force multiplier for troops-in contact, and essentially
depriving terrorist cells of external threat warning and disrupts
internal command and control. As of August, 2006 the mission
has expanded to go after enemy communications and try to isolate
them, enabling ground forces to close and engage.