Face of Defense: Third-generation Pilot Flies in Enduring Freedom

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Stephen Hudson

169th Fighter Wing

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 6, 2012 – With each sortie that Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Rose flies over Afghanistan, he adds to his family’s rich history. As an F-16 pilot assigned to the 157th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here, he is the third member of his family to fly in combat for the Air Force. His father and grandfather also flew Air Force combat missions.

A 1992 graduate of Texas A&M University, Rose became an Airborne Warning and Control System weapons controller after he received his Air Force commission. He flew with AWACS until he was accepted into pilot training in 1999, and he earned his wings in Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training.

Rose said his father and grandfather have been instrumental in his career and have celebrated his achievements with him. His father commissioned him after college, and his grandfather pinned his original World War II pilot’s wings on him at his pilot training graduation. “That was pretty cool,” the F-16 pilot said.

His father, retired Air Force Col. Gene Rose III, flew two tours in the Vietnam War. His first tour was as a forward air controller in an OV-10, flying out of the central Vietnamese city of Pleiku and over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. His second deployment was as a B-52 pilot flying out of Thailand.

His grandfather, retired Army Air Corps Capt. Gene Rose Jr., flew C-47s during some of World War II’s largest battles in the European theater. As a pilot for cargo carriers, he dropped airborne forces in Sicily and 82nd Airborne Division soldiers during the Normandy invasion on D-Day. Rose said his grandfather died shortly after the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers” aired, and had been moved to see the airborne drop scenes were portrayed as he recalled them from his own experience.

Rose said his interest in aviation and the Air Force came from his grandfather, who took him fishing as a child and would tell him stories. He added that while stationed in Italy, his wife took him to Normandy as a birthday surprise. They had a private tour of the area that included sites of the airborne invasion. His guide used a metal detector to find spent U.S. shell casings of American soldiers from where his grandfather’s plane would have dropped men.

“I like to think they’re from his stick,” Rose said.

While deployed here, Rose has been providing close air support to coalition forces on the ground. Rose said the highlight of his current deployment has been working with those troops.

“Hearing the sense of relief in their voice when they need airpower and we’re there for them” is the highlight of this deployment, he said.

When his deployment is over, Rose will return to the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C., where he will resume his duties as commander of Detachment 1, 20th Operations Group for the active association with the South Carolina Air National Guard and the active duty Air Force.

DOD Identifies Units for Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation

The Department of Defense today identified four units to deploy as part of the upcoming rotation of forces operating in Afghanistan.  The scheduled rotation involves one brigade combat team with more than 3,000 personnel to rotate in late Spring 2012; one brigade combat team with more than 2,950 personnel and one combat aviation brigade with more than 2,580 to rotate in late Fall 2012; and one combat aviation brigade with more than 2,500 personnel to rotate in early Winter 2012.  The deploying units include: 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. (deploys in late Spring 2012).

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. (deploys in late Fall 2012).

101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Campbell, Ky. (deploys in late Fall 2012).

3rd Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Stewart, Ga. (deploys in early Winter 2012).

DoD will continue to announce major deployments as they are approved.  For information on these respective deployments, contact the following: 4th BCT, 1st Inf. Div., contact the 1st Infantry Division public affairs office at 757-685-2767, or 785-240-5656; 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (Air Assault); 101st Abn. Div. CAB, contact the 101st Abn. Div. (Air Assault) public affairs office at 270-798-9962; and 3rd Inf. Div. CAB, contact the 3rd Infantry Division public affairs office at 912-435-9869.

Kuwait Military Officials, US Ambassadors Visit Lincoln at Sea

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wade T. Oberlin, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- Kuwaiti Air Force and U.S. Embassy officials met with USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 leadership aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, May 9.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence Director of Operations and Plans, Kuwaiti Air Force Maj. Gen. Abdulrazaq Al-Awadhi, and the Defense Attaché of Kuwait City, Brig. Gen. Rick B. Mattson, a U.S. Embassy senior defense official, joined several other Kuwaiti military officials to tour Lincoln and observe maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf.

The visit was designed to strengthen military-to-military relations and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to long-term stability and security in the region.

From the ship's flag bridge and vulture's row, Kuwaiti military officials and cadets viewed fly-bys as Kuwaiti pilots rode in the backseats of two F/A-18F Super Hornets assigned to the Bounty Hunters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2. The guests also viewed an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Kestrels of VFA 137 in the ship's hangar bay.

Al-Awadhi said the visit would increase the cadets' understanding of the importance of Lincoln's mission in the region.

"Many of the cadets in this group have recently graduated," Al-Awadhi said. "We have been involved with exchange programs in the past, and this embark is to operate with friends in the area. It's also a great opportunity for the cadets to come out and see this ship."

Lincoln is currently deployed with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, which also includes embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, guided-missile cruiser Cape St. George (CG 71) and Destroyer Squadron 9, comprised of guided-missile destroyers USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Sterett (DDG 104). CSG 9 is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and combat flight operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

New Mexico Guard aviators ‘Steal from the Reaper’

By Army Sgt. Daniel Schroeder

25th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan - “Medevac, medevac, medevac” comes over the radio as flight crews from Company C, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, New Mexico Army National Guard run out to a UH-60 Black Hawk, start it up and take to the skies in response to the request for medical evacuation.

The standard for medevac missions are to launch the aircraft in 15 minutes and to get the patient to a medical facility within one hour. According to Army Lt. Col. Christopher Holland, the 1-171 commander, this Guard unit maintained a 99.9 percent success rate of achieving that standard.

Over the past 12 months, Soldiers of Company C, located at Camp Dwyer and Forward Operating Bases Edinburgh, Paine and Delaram, have completed more than 1,400 missions; treated more than 1,800 patients; and flew a cumulative total of more than 3,900 flight hours from across the four locations.

“The crew chiefs and medics did extraordinary work during the course of the deployment,” said Army Staff Sgt. Chuck McGould, the operations noncommissioned officer in charge. “The ability of these Soldiers to be flexible to any changes, such as geographical separation, injuries … and weather conditions when accomplishing the mission was one of the most valuable qualities of the unit.”

In addition to treating American service members, the medics also tended to International Security Assistance Forces partners and Afghan National Security Forces, as well as Afghan civilians of all ages.

Some of those calls left long lasting memories on the Soldiers of Company C long after their missions were complete.

“I remember two medevac calls we got when I was on shift,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Moya, a flight medic with the unit. “We responded to the call of a 7-year-old local Afghan girl who had been burned by oil and a 5-year-old boy with a head injury. The innocence of the children, being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, causes the memory [to] stick with you.”

The Soldiers of Company C come from different backgrounds, allowing them to bring different experiences and knowledge to the team. Their careers, ranging from a curriculum implementation school administrator to a sales manager for a tool company, brought diverse knowledge to the team as well.

“With all the diverse backgrounds and skills of the Soldiers in the unit, it is possible to find someone that has some knowledge about anything,” Holland said.

The Soldiers showed their dedication to the medevac mission by continuing to stay on top of maintaining the aircraft, equipment, and themselves.

“Our mission out here is all about the Marine, troop, or person on the battlefield,” Holland said. “When the crews react to a mission, they go by the motto ‘we will be there and be there fast.’ They have done a great job of getting the job done each and every time.”

With the last 12 months of medevac missions conducted, the Soldiers of Company C, 1-171 can return to their families and friends back in the states knowing they gave all they had helping those in need and living up to the unit motto, “Stealing from the Reaper.”

Missile Inspection

U.S. Air Force Maj. Todd Pierce inspects the bombs and missiles on an F-16C Fighting Falcon on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, April 5, 2012. Pierce is a F-16C pilot assigned to the 451st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

DOD Identifies Units for Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation

The Department of Defense today identified three major units to deploy as part of the upcoming rotation of forces operating in Afghanistan.  The Spring 2012 scheduled rotation involves one brigade combat team headquarters with more than 70 personnel; one brigade combat team with more than 3,600 personnel; and a combat aviation brigade with more than 2,400 personnel to include:

Headquarters unit (rotation began last month):

76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters, Indiana Army National Guard

Brigade Combat Team and Combat Aviation Brigade:

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy

12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Katterbach, Germany

DoD will continue to announce major deployments as they are approved.  For information on the respective deployments contact the following:

76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Headquarters, contact the 76th IBCT public affairs officer at 317-800-8541, or the Indiana Army National Guard public affairs office at 317-247-3222.

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, contact the 173rd ABCT public affairs officer at 011-39-044-471-8839, or U.S. Army, Europe, public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-8628 or 011-49-6221-57-5816.

12th Combat Aviation Brigade, contact the U.S. Army, Europe, public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-8628 or 011-49-6221-57-5816.

UPDATE:  March 15, 2011 -- Headquarters unit rotation began last month.