Free Republic

12/30/2009 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Whether they are conducting patrols on the ground, riding in convoys or performing clearing operations in villages to search for insurgents, coalition forces know members of the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here stand ready 24 hours a day and seven days a week to provide close-air support anywhere throughout Afghanistan. This includes armed overwatch, armed reconnaissance and armed convoy escort with the A-10 Thunderbolt II. "We get to work with the guys on the ground and they're the ones who are in the heat of it all day," said Capt. Doug Witmer, an...

4/21/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Imagine being pinned down by enemy forces, with no relief in sight. Now, imagine picking up a phone and calling your friendly local fighter pilot, flying overhead only miles away, for help. With the new Fighter Aircraft Communication Enhancement, or FACE, pod, ground units in combat are now able to do just that. Fielded for the first time in late 2004, the FACE pod is a solution to communication problems often experienced by aircraft in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan. Used effectively in several theaters, the FACE pod allows ground units to communicate with...

11/29/2005 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Keeping a mission-capable supply of bullets coming as A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots respond to close-air support requests is a key role for a group of Airmen taking part in the ongoing global war on terrorism. Deployed here from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., the role of the 455th Air Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron munitions flight is to provide ammunition to those experiencing combat with enemy aggressors. “Our job is to fully maintain, assemble and deliver a ready supply of ammunition for all A-10 operations in support of Marine, Army and other Coalition...

Air Support Operations Center airmen respond to immediate requests and preplanned missions of close-air support to defeat terrorism. This time, things went down differently than planned. As arranged, the men prepped and fired a mortar at coalition forces. They shuttled into their vehicle, certain of a smooth exit. "He squealed on his teammates, and coalition forces rounded them up." Capt. Sev Olinger What the terrorists did not count on was what happened afterward: An American fighter aircraft zoomed overhead, investigating the mortar point of origin. The pilot tracked the terrorist team in their getaway truck, simultaneously communicating with an Army...