Bagram aircrew drops ammo to Soldiers in firefight

Published Aug. 26, 2006
By Maj. David Kurle
455 AEW public affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- On Aug. 10, Maj. Jim Van Hoomissen's C-130 Hercules crew, all from the Alaska Air National Guard's 144th Airlift Squadron, found out how valuable their contribution is to Operation Enduring Freedom.

Scheduled to airdrop a load of ammunition to U.S. Army Soldiers operating near a high-desert drop-zone, the crew flew twice over the area with no radio contact from the unit on the ground.

"We wanted to drop the supplies, so we kept trying to contact the drop zone," Major Van Hoomissen said. Airlift crews cannot conduct an airdrop unless they receive confirmation from the ground that someone is there to retrieve the cargo and the landing area is safe.

Re-supplying U.S. and Coalition ground forces is a difficult proposition in Afghanistan.

Given some of the most rugged, mountainous terrain on Earth and a lack of roads - there are no 18-wheelers bringing supplies to Soldiers operating in the more remote parts of the country.

To make deliveries, the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here utilizes one of the oldest airframes in the Air Force - the C-130 Hercules transport plane.

"(The C-130) is a truck with wings," said Major Van Hoomissen, a C-130 pilot, who flies for Alaska Airlines in his civilian job.

Turning the aircraft in the direction of Bagram, where the Alaska crew is based, the major tried contacting the Army's drop zone controller on a different radio frequency - and succeeded.

That's when the situation changed.

"We couldn't contact anyone before because (the Soldiers) were engaged with the enemy," Major Van Hoomissen said. "We could tell from their voices they were engaged."

While Major Van Hoomissen talked on the radio, his co-pilot, 1st Lieutenant Scott Altenburg, flew the four-engine aircraft and maneuvered it back toward the drop zone, avoiding numerous thunderstorms in the area. Aircraft, especially large ones, and thunderstorms don't mix, and an airdrop requires a steady stable platform for successful delivery.

"There was a firefight going on, but we were able to get clearance to drop from the drop zone controller," he said. "They wanted the stuff now."

The flight engineer, Tech. Sgt. Christine Encelewski, monitored vital aircraft indicators like fuel and oxygen gauges while keeping an eye out for weather and other aircraft.

The task for Navigator Lt. Col. Scott Lubin was to re-program the planes self-contained navigation system computer, in order to provide the pilots with navigation information, including directions back to the drop zone.

Loadmasters Senior Master Sgt. Eric Heiker and Master Sgt. Gordy Heinen began working feverously in the plane's cargo compartment getting the cargo ready to drop.

"We were getting bits and pieces of what the guys on the flight deck were talking about," Sergeant Heinen said. "We really needed to get this drop off."

Between the twists and turns of flying the aircraft back to the drop zone and the winds generated by the weather, working in the cargo compartment was rough.

"We were getting tossed around a little bit," Sergeant Heinen said.

To complicate the situation, A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft were assisting the Soldiers on the ground - firing their 30-mm cannons in the area where the C-130 crew needed to drop the cargo.

Using the Army's drop zone controller as a go-between, Major Van Hoomissen coordinated with the A-10 pilots, letting them know the C-130 was coming around for an airdrop.

After measuring the winds to determine where the six bundles of ammunition would fall under their parachutes, the crew pointed the plane's nose to a course that would take it over the drop zone.

At just the right moment, the containers of ammunition slid out the open ramp and cargo door of the C-130 and drifted to the ground.

"To know that (the Soldiers) were actually engaged at the time says a lot," Sergeant Heinen said. "There was a lot of satisfaction in that drop."

As the C-130 climbed and turned away from the drop zone after delivering the needed ammunition, Major Van Hoomissen recalls hearing the drop zone controller calling one more time on the radio.

"He said, 'Thanks, we really needed that airdrop,'" the Major said.