On this Day in 1991: The AC-130A Spectre “Azrael” was sent to the Al Jahra highway between Kuwait City and Basrah, Iraq, to intercept the convoys of tanks, trucks, buses and cars fleeing the battle. Facing numerous enemy batteries of SA-6 and SA-8 surface-to-air missiles, and 37mm and 57mm radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery, the crew attacked the enemy skillfully, inflicting significant damage on the convoys. Learn more here thanks to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
CMSgt Alcide “Bull” Benini portrait, reproduced from Gathering of Eagles drawing (with permission).
This graphic hangs in the Combat Control School Heritage Foundation Museum at Pope Field, NC. Benini was designated the first Combat Controlled in 1953 and the Museum is named in his honor.
Gathering of Eagles Foundation
This photo if from recent New Equipment training by Fayetteville, NC-based Tactical Mobility Training for Air Force Special Operations Command’s recent purchase of Christini All-Wheel Drive motorcycles.
Thulsa Doom turned me on to this cool Cold War-era (1968), German documentary, entitied “Classix: Die Luftwaffe der Bundeswehr zeigt ihr Können während der Übung „schneller Pfeil“ which showcases their aerial delivery and Close Air Support capabilities during exercise Fast Arrow. Watching an F104 deliver CAS is priceless.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to a Resiliency Training offsite with the 58th Rescue Squadron, stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Led by Lt Col Stephen C, the 58th is made up of Combat Rescue Officers, Pararescuemen (PJs), SERE Specialists and support personnel from 14 different careerfields.
Squadron members and their families made the short trip from Las Vegas, to nearby Saint George, Utah, to learn about how to better deal with the stresses of combat operations, and military life in general. Pioneered by USSOCOM, resiliency training is officially known as Preservation of Force and Family. More recently, Air Combat Command, as the responsible USAF command for the Guardian Angel Weapon System, instituted a similar program for their Battlefield Airmen. Last weekend’s event is a result of this initiative.
In addition to advances in nutrition and physical training, one of the goals of the program is to provide training to recognize stress and reduce the stigma of getting help for mental issues. Stress inoculation is key in training, but preparation and awareness of what one should expect, are also crucial. Those last bits were the focus of the weekend’s agenda.
As families accompanied them, the location was a perfect way for everyone to get away from Las Vegas for a few days. Saint George offers some great opportunities for outdoor recreation and bonding. The Squadron’s various elements also had ample time to accomplish mid and long-term goals, including planning on how to make them a reality.
The first day, Operational Psychologist Maj Richard S, 432nd Wing Operational Psychologist discussed adjusting to life after deployment and how to turn the switch off from operational life when you get back home. The next day, Lt Col Richard B is the lead SERE Psychologist at Fairchild. Having served in AFSOC at Cannon AFB, NM, Lt Col B concentrated on warrior mindset.
That evening, the 58th Rescue Squadron Booster Club presented a banquet for the unit and its families. While the active duty members were TDY, the families’ meals were made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Air Rescue Concepts and Soldier Systems Daily.
The next morning, Steve Tarani presented an interactive seminar for the Squadron members and their spouses. The topic was perfect for the weekend’s focus; Resiliency training, mental toughness and preparedness.
He has been teaching for over 30 years, concentrating on protection, of people, assets and facilities. These days he usually concentrates on train-the-trainer but he also offers seminars like this to improve the safety and security for high risk audiences.
Steve is a very engaging speaker. The talk was excellent and applicable, to the military participants just as much as their families. Mindset, awareness and threat mitigation were key points of his talk. Steve tied recent real world events into the training, including last week’s vehicle and knife attack in Ohio. The talk was especially important for family members, who often find themselves alone while their spouse is deployed because Steve discussed situational awareness and how to become a hard target.
After a team lunch, Maj John T gave an engaging talk about Fatigue Management and Performance. Rather than putting all of us to sleep after lunch, he offered fatigue countermeasures and the important of understanding circadian rhythms and adjunct medications. I also now understand the difference between snuggling and cuddling. Last but not least, Lt Col Stefanie S wrapped up the day with a discussion on the importance of nutrition for Special Operations Forces.
Patrick Van Horn author of ‘Left of Bang’ wrapped up the presentations on Sunday afternoon. Patrick is the author of, “Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life” and the CEO of The CP Journal, a behavioral analysis training company. His presentation centered around Combat Profiling, which is a method of proactively identifying threats based on normal behavior and other cues from one’s surroundings. Patrick explained how the foundation of combat profiling is that there are universal similarities in humans, despite cultural differences. The idea is to take a proactive approach to combat profiling by establishing baselines, identifying anomalies from that baseline and then acting on them.
All of the presentations were excellent and discussions with the members of the Guardian Angel community indicated they agreed.
The good news in all of this is that the military has become much better at recognizing and treating physical, emotional and mental stressors. Programs like this help to inoculate military personnel and their families toward these conditions, in order to help mitigate their effects. What is most important, is that personnel understand that these organizations continue to invest in their well being. Their units are there to help, and the stigma of seeking assistance is no longer there. The goal is to keep these warriors in the fight.
I want to thank the Airmen of the 58th Rescue Squadron for their hospitality. It was a joy to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and speak with Airmen and their families.
This documentary covers a rather interesting subject, the Royal Air Force Bomber Force which for several decades centered around the Vulcan and served as a Nuclear deterrent during the Cold War.
As a kid the RAF Vulcan was my favorite bomber. Probably because of its huge batlike structure, but also because I got to check out the cockpit on quite a few occasions because my dad’s wing would deploy to RAF Waddington regularly and they’d send a Vulcan across to our annual airshow so he knew many of their maintainers.
Fans of the Vulcan know that the type made its last flight just over a year ago with airframe XH558. Artist Nick Harrison commemorates the event with this Kickstarter campaign. It’s a great looking print.
Last week, AFSOC added a statue of a Special Tactics Operator to the memorial park at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Considering the 24th SOW is a major portion of AFSOC’s combat power, and Special Tactics Airmen have been instrumental in the joint fight, its about time their contributions are recognized.
Special Tactics, the Air Force’s ground special operations force, has been engaged in every major conflict since 9/11, continuously deployed for more than 5,000 days to more than 73 locations. As a result of their actions in combat, the Special Tactics community has earned the highest number of valorous medals in the Air Force since the Vietnam War.
In the last 40 years, only ten Airmen have received the Air Force Cross, the service’s highest medal it can bestow for valor in combat. Eight of those recipients were Special Tactics Airmen.
Beside the statue are two plaques which include the names of those Airmen who have earned the Air Cross Cross as well as the 8 ST operators who have fallen in training and the 19 who perished in action.
In true Special Tactics fashion, the dedication ceremony ended with memorial pushups.
Photos courtesy of North American Rescue.
