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Airmen help bring gift of freedom to Afghans

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael Meridith
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan --  With the holidays fast approaching, Airmen of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing were recently able to help give the gift of freedom to the citizens of the Afghan village of Musa Qalah. 

After a week of heavy fighting, Afghan National Security Forces, backed by Coalition forces, were able to defeat the Taliban insurgents that had controlled the town since February, freeing its citizens. That Dec. 12 victory was in no small part due to air power, which kept ground forces supplied and provided critical close air support during the seven-day fight. 

With the Taliban using civilian homes to stockpile weapons, including suicide vests and improvised explosive device-making materials, F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II crews from the 336th and 172nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons here were careful in how they employed airpower in support of the battle. 

"It was a very methodical, step-by-step operation," said Maj. Tim Welde, an F-15E weapons system officer with the 336 EFS. "The Taliban would love nothing more than to show footage of women and children hurt or killed in an air strike. Regardless of their tactics, we only employ the level of force we need to meet the ground commander's intent while avoiding civilian casualties." 

Through the careful use of precision munitions and intimidating "shows of force" (low-level passes that demonstrate an aircraft's power without the use of weapons), fighter crews were able to foil the Taliban's attempts to create an "information" victory through civilian casualties, where they could not win one through force of arms. 

"I did a few shows of force and they seemed to have a real impact on the enemy's decision-making - as to whether they would continue to fight with our ground forces or throw up their hands," said Maj. Shawn Holtz, an A-10 pilot with the 172 EFS. 

Precision wasn't just a concern for fighter aircraft. C-130 Hercules aircraft kept ground forces supplied, safely dropping about 180,000 pounds of food and other supplies over the course of the operation - often near congested areas. 

"Fundamentally, it came down to our people, their experience and their attitude," said Maj. John Owens, who operated the precision air drop systems used by the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron's C-130s during several missions in support of the operation. "Day or night they were motivated to get the job done right." 

The surge in airpower to support the ANSF advances was made possible by a corresponding surge amongst the aircraft maintainers. 

"We knew we would be supporting a major operation, so we pre-positioned ourselves to ensure we had the resources and manning ready," said Capt. Rodney Stevens, officer-in-charge of the 336th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit. 

According to Captain Stevens, the results "speak for themselves", with not a single missed F-15E sortie, despite a significant increase in flying hours. 

That kind of success is a direct result of the attitude of the Airmen launching the fighters, according to Capt. Kevin Toll, who led maintenance operations for the A-10s during the operation. 

"It made people move faster and with a tremendous sense of purpose," said Capt. Toll. "Their morale was high at being part of something like this." 

With the Afghan national flag once again flying over the village, Airmen of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing can be justifiably proud of their part in bringing freedom back to the people of Musa Qalah.