Story by Staff Sgt. John Wright
BAGRAM AIR FIELD -- The war in Afghanistan has produced no shortage of American heroes, but most recently a JTAC from the 817th EASOS proved it yet again. Senior Airman Jorge Henry was credited with helping save the lives of a 34-man Army co., in the Northern Kunar prov., Aug. 12, 2011, by calling in multiple air strikes, after being shot by a Taliban sniper.
Henry and soldiers from the 2-27th Inf. Bn., hiked 4,000 meters up a mountainside under cover of darkness, to establish vantage points from which to observe enemy activity in a local village. Once daybreak came, it was apparent there was a strong enemy presence.
"A few hours later we got some intel that the enemy in the town had eyes on us," Henry said. "At that point they knew we were there, and we started to take fire." The N.Y. native, immediately called for close air support, and within minutes, F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 555th Expeditionary Fighter Sqdn. (EFS) were overhead. "As soon as that first bomb was dropped, we started getting hit with heavy machine gun fire from 2 different locations," Henry said. "So, I called for 2 500-lb bombs on those locations and took them out."Shortly thereafter, Henry's unit started getting hit with machine gun fire again from another location, pinning them down. "Rounds were landing right at my feet, so we huddled against the rocks, trying to get as low as possible," Henry said. "I called for 2 2000-lb bombs to suppress the machine gun fire on that position, long enough for us to break contact and move south to get better cover." The fighting didn't let up, however, as his unit again began taking fire from a cave system to the NW. Henry guided rotary wing assets onto the targets to engage the cave, but their munitions weren't strong enough to penetrate the heavily fortified position. It became clear to the JTAC that he had to get a bomb deep inside the cave, but the angle was tricky. He called for a laser guided bomb, which followed a path being lazed by the helicopters, and scored a direct hit that effectively took out the enemy."At this point Henry started to notice that he personally was starting to take quite a bit of fire. He was informed that the Taliban had positively identified him as the person calling in airstrikes, saying, "shoot the big guy."At 6'2," 230lbs, Henry stood out. "I looked around and realized, 'I'm the big guy."' Henry said.He decided it was best to move to better cover, so he could continue to effectively call in close air support. As he began to run to better cover, a sniper opened up on him. "He fired 3 shots," Henry said. "One landed at my feet, the second round passed between my chest and my arm and hit the ground. The third round hit me in the right hand." After realizing his new cover was compromised, Henry ran to the next closest cover, which happened to be where the Army medic was engaging the enemy."I jumped in the hole with him, and let him know I was hit," Henry said. "I didn't have time to wait though, so while he was bandaging my injured hand, I used my good hand to keep calling in strikes. The only thing on my mind was 'get bombs off these birds as fast as possible to suppress this gunfire.'" Lt. Col. John Peterson, 555 EFS F-16 pilot, was the flight lead in a 2-ship formation, providing CAS that day. "He and the medic were pinned down with rounds popping in and around their position," Peterson said. "I feared he was out of the game, either physically or mentally. Within moments, I could tell he regained his composure."Henry's ability to regain his composure and focus on the task at hand, impressed the veteran pilot. "As a Forward Air Controller and a former Air Ground Ops School instructor, I've had extensive experience working the JTACs in training and combat," said Peterson, deployed from Aviano Airbase, Italy. "Henry's performance under fire was nothing short of stellar. It was 'trial by fire' - literally." Peterson and Capt. Mark Browning, the other F16 pilot, dropped bomb after bomb for the JTAC, but eventually ran low on fuel and had to return to Bagram Air Field. F-15E Strike Eagles from the 389th EFS were enroute to replace them, but were about 20 minutes out.
It was during this time, pinned down in a hole little more than 1' high, Henry thought about his family. "I told myself I'm going to make it off this mountain for them," Henry said. "I'm going to kill as many of these guys as I have to, and all of us are leaving here alive."
The determined JTAC's situation was made even more difficult, by the fact that the hole he and the medic were hiding in was beginning to deteriorate, due to the sniper and heavy machine gun fire. "Every time I would stick my head up to try to determine their position, rounds would zoom right past my head," Henry said. "I could hear them and feel the heat from the bullets."After pinpointing the machine gun's position, Henry called in ordnance, which scored a direct it; however, the sniper fire persisted. Henry was able to figure out the angle the bullets were coming, by using his wrist compass. He then used a laser range finder to determine the distance.The F-15s arrived in the nick of time, and Henry was ready for them. He was unable to reach maps and charts in his pack, to get a precise location for the fighter's to drop a bomb, so he called in an approx position. The bomb landed about 1,000 meters from the sniper who was not discouraged."Once I knew I was relatively close I just started walking bombs in on him," Henry said. "Finally, when I got close enough, I called for a 2,000-lb bomb with air burst fusing, which means once it reaches a certain elevation, it blows up. I saw the bomb go off above his head and watched him disappear."After the sniper was taken out, Henry was finally able to get to better cover, but the situation quickly intensified when Taliban forces advanced to within 30 meters of his new position. Henry ignored the pain in his injured hand and used his M-4 carbine to help soldiers drive the enemy back.Eventually, 8 hours after the fighting began, night started to fall and Henry's unit used the cover of darkness to descend the mountain to safety. In all, the JTAC called in 14,500lbs of munitions, 17 bombs total. "This was my first heavy engagement, and I just did what I had to do to survive," the humble JTAC said. "Any skilled JTAC in my position would have done the same thing." Henry said he felt that if he quit, or gave in to the pain, his unit could have sustained heavy losses.Peterson shared the same sentiment. "From our perspective, his ability to remain calm and effectively use airpower was nothing short of essential for their survival," he said. During the award presentation, Goldfein explained to the gathered crowd, and to Henry in particular, that it's traditional in the military for the person receiving the medal, to salute the officer who presents their medal. However, in this case, the general said that he would prefer to do the saluting, and asked not to be saluted in return. Goldfein wanted to honor the service of Henry, and his fellow JTACs, for all they've done during conflicts around the world, and also for aiding in his own rescue, after being shot down over Serbia, in May 1999. While many people might consider taking time off to recover or go home, Henry is having none of it and is itching to return to the fight. "I'm going right back," he said. "I wouldn't go home if they tried to send me. I want to go back out on more missions to bring airpower to the battlefield."Senior Airman Jorge Henry, left, tells the story of a recent firefight.
BAGRAM AIR FIELD -- When an EC-130H Compass Call’s complex and critical electronic equipment malfunctions, there is only one unit in the world that can fix it – and it’s deployed here.
Members of the 41st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit (EAMU), 455th EAMS, are tasked with keeping the EC-130Hs’ tactical command, control and communication countermeasures, and noise jamming capabilities, in working order to keep Bagram’s mission “responsive and precise.”“We're the only unit in the AF with this particular mission,” said Capt. Aaron Stumpf, EC-130H maintenance officer-in-charge. “Compass Call aircraft fly directly over the fight, providing direct non-kinetic fires to the forces on the ground – Army, Marines, coalition and SOF.”The unit has been deployed continuously since 2003 to maintain these unique aircraft in support of OEF. Unlike conventional Air Expeditionary Force rotations that swap out every 6 months with sister units, a steady stream of maintainers come in and out of the area of responsibility from Davis-Monthan – each individual serving a 4-month tour.“We've deployed in support of OEF for more than 7 years. We’ve deployed to support the fight,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Burton, who's responsible for maintaining the navigation-communication systems. “The sqdn. is large at Davis-Monthan, and we fulfill the OEF deployment tasking, as well as many others around the world. It’s challenging, knowing you will have to deploy several times, while you’re part of this select unit.”"Although the climate and terrain are similar to the desert environment in Arizona, the EC-130 aircraft still have to adjust to environmental conditions in Afghanistan," Burton said.“Since these aircraft travel through so many environments to arrive in theater, they may breakdown initially until they become acclimated,” said Burton. “It's more humid and colder here at times. After a while, we know what to look for, because we’ve gotten to know the aircraft so well.”When Burton and the other team members initially joined the sqdn, they had the responsibility of learning how to maintain the EC-130H aircraft. "Maintaining the EC-130 and its unique electronic systems, is not what they were originally trained to do," said Senior Airman Sarah Wagstaff, an electronic warfare journeyman.“I like that this is a different system than I learned in technical school,” said Wagstaff, who is deployed with her husband Staff Sgt. David Wagstaff, an airborne maintenance tech. “When I arrived at the sqdn., I didn’t know I would be working on an intricate electronic attack platform. I like that this job forces me to think to figure things out.”Wagstaff and other team members maintain the EC-130s’ electronic mission systems, containing the electronic attack targeting and engagement equipment. "Although the system usually tells her when something is wrong, there are times when she and her crew have to troubleshoot problems, with the equipment using logic and aircraft schematics," she said.“There were times when it took our crew several days to fix problems, but it doesn’t happen too often,” said Wagstaff, who is on her 2nd deployment in 3 years. “We're always learning about this system. This isn’t like a traditional maintainer job, using tools to fix things. We're taught on theory of op, and how signals flow through the system. It’s rewarding when you fix a problem with the aircraft to make it work, knowing that it helps the aircrew deliver effects to the people on the ground, who are getting the mission done.”While on his first deployment to Bagram Air Field, Stumpf leads the team of maintainers, ensuring Compass Call aircraft stay in the air. “What we do is significantly different than a typical C-130 with a traditional cargo mission. The EC-130H is a non-kinetic attack aircraft,” said Stumpf. "Many people hear about F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15E Strike Eagles in the fight, but the EC-130 Compass Call is rarely in the spotlight; it’s a particular capability people don’t know much about," the captain said.
While the Davis-Monthan team takes care of the mission, Stumpf ensures that he takes care of his people, enabling them to become force multipliers.
“As a maintenance officer, I’m in a career field where you're leading a lot of people who contribute to the mission,” he said. “I look to my NCOs to help keep our maintainers mission focused, helping them understand how their efforts factor into the bigger picture."
Staff Sgt. Mathew Wilkinson, 455th hydraulics craftsman, checks for bleed on the communications system on an EC-130H Compass Call aircraft.
Senior Airman Thomas Nguyen, 455th communications navigation journeyman, performs maintenance on an EC-130H Compass Call aircraft. Nguyen fixes a broken radar scope, preparing it for the next mission.
FOB SPIN BOLDAK – Under a scorching sun, and in front of a host of general officers from various NATO nations, the ANA’s Fort Spin Boldak Kodiak graduated its final class of 130 ABP recruits, inching yet closer to the 160,000 security providers the GoA set as the threshold required to take the lead in its own national defense.
Though similar to other graduations, the Aug. 27 rite-of-passage also had special meanings for recruits, as it was the last class to train at the fort. Built in 1880 under Amir Rahman, the fort is one of the oldest military posts in the country, and until now, served as training ground for one of the 5 regional training facilities in Afghanistan. The class was also one of the first to train for 8 instead of 6 weeks, giving trainers, comprised of Romanian and American troops, the chance to teach trainees basic reading skills, and an awareness of human rights and gender equality.With an illiteracy rate of nearly 90%, ABP officers face many special challenges pertaining to their jobs, to include being able to take notes and follow directions, as well as read passports and street signs when they're on patrol. "This training, along with an emphasis on human rights, U.S. officials hope, will set the foundation for the ABP’s success," said Romanian army Sgt. Burlacu Mircea. A trainer and mentor during the 8-week course, Mircea said, "the key in teaching recruits to read is emphasizing that recruits need literacy to do their jobs, which in turn, makes them more equipped to provide safety and security for Afghanistan. One recruit, Zabihullah Roshan, an ambulance driver, and recent-graduate of the training program, said that although he’d learned elementary reading skills previously, the class helped him understand more of what he was reading, and in turn, makes him a better ABP officer.“If I work at the airport, and someone comes with a passport, I can now know what it says,” he said. “If I can’t read a passport, I'm no good as a police officer, because they can enter my country,” Roshan added, referring to terrorists who enter Afghanistan illegally at border checkpoints and airports, which the ABP is responsible for securing. More than enabling him to accomplish his basic security duties, reading and writing skills will also help Roshan inspire children learn to read. “They trust us to make better security for Afghanistan,” he said. “We say they must have education, so they can solve their own problems.”Influencing children to build a better Afghanistan, however, is a long-range plan. The ABP’s immediate goal, per NATO’s desired end states, is to defeat and suppress the presence of terrorist networks. "One of the ways that can be accomplished on smaller levels," Roshan said, "is to teach Afghans to read, which will allow them to counter religious propaganda terrorist networks often use to recruit new members.“The terrorists use people to fight their neighbors, because they don’t know how to read,” he said. “We must work with them, because when they have an education, they don’t let so many people use them.”Already, in just 2 weeks of literacy training, Roshan has improved his reading skills, and is passing them on to his family, and in doing so, Roshan said he hopes to inspire others to join him. “They're proud to see me in my uniform,” he said. “They also want to learn, because it’s good for their country and themselves.”Much like changing mindsets in literacy, ABP trainers are also changing mindsets in gender relations. In Afghanistan, which the N.Y. Times columnist Nicholas Krisoff, in the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” identified as being among the troubled spots, in which it's “dangerous to be a woman.” Gender violence often got overlooked. Partly because the Taliban ruled with an iron fist, and readily punished any woman it saw as “impure,” and partly because law enforcement officers rarely, if ever, received training on gender equality, Afghanistan quickly shot up the priority list for women’s rights orgs., at the beginning of OEF. In recent years, the DoD, along with State Dept, has also identified women’s rights as one of the major keys in rebuilding a more stabled Afghanistan."With the new focus, ABP recruits also received training on preventing sexual assaults and domestic violence," Mircea said. Though the classes were crunched in with the 2 weeks of literacy training, Mircea said seeing gender violence from women’s perspectives is often a profound experience for the recruits.“They’re surprised to hear that violence against women is unacceptable,” he said. “But, they’re smart and are learning. When we show them pictures of women who were beaten, they've sad looks on their faces.”In approaching such a subject – one that crosses cultural and religious barriers, trainers take great care in pushing forward women’s rights, while at the same time, ensuring that recruits understand they weren’t there to change the culture. Much like many non-govt orgs. that have, for years, worked in the human rights field, ABP trainers focus not on whether a culture is “right” or “wrong,” but rather, to bring awareness to recruits about issues that, for too long, have rendered Afghan women fearful for their lives.Much like many other efforts in Afghanistan, Mircea said, "it's too early to tell if the program will be successful. If the looks on the faces, and actions of the recent graduates are any indications, however, the new training program is already a success.Dressed in their newly-issued fatigue uniforms, ABP officers gave visiting guests and dignitaries a thumbnail-sketch of what they've learned, running tactical drills in front of the crowd of about 100. Armed with the new ability to write and communicate, some also gave their e-mail addresses to visiting journalists, welcoming follow-up questions, and requesting that journalists send them graduation photos. Though not each day of their career will be this peaceful or happy, nor will they always receive publicity for the hard and often dangerous work they engage in, ABP officers said they were ready for the task at hand – namely, to contribute to a nation that many of them grew up in, and continued to love, despite hardship.“I want to help my country; that’s why I joined,” said 39-year-old Aboul Malek, who previously worked as a farmer before he decided to join. “I wanted to help my citizens instead of being a farmer – my country is in a bad situation, and I will help.”Recently-graduated ABP officers demonstrate proper techniques of detaining suspected criminals.
An ABP shows off his graduation certificate to fellow classmates.
FOB MUSA QAL’EH, Helmand province -- An elder Afghan citizen approaches the gate separating the citizens of Musa Qal’eh, from the Marines. He walks slowly, but with purpose. His intent is to settle a matter of rotor wash effect from the Marine’s helicopters on his property. When he gets to the gate, a guard calls for LCpl. Juan Villalobos.
The old man was compensated for the damage caused by the helicopters, and walked back through the gate, into the bustling Afghan society that Musa Qal’eh harbors. The compensation was distributed by LCpl. Juan Villalobos. One of the many responsibilities Villalobos shoulders, is to make sure that the local population is not being adversely affected by the Marines occupying the area. Compensating local residents for damage cause by CF is a part of the counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy being used by ISAF.
The Musa Qal’eh District Center, where the bn resides, is a large lively city. Locals herd livestock through the streets, while venders peddle their various wears out of poorly constructed buildings, that are shaded by shanty canopies made with sticks and cloth.
The crowded streets are filled with large trucks making deliveries of goods or motorcycles dodging in and out of traffic. The butcher shops have goat heads in the gutter in front of their building, while the freshly butchered meat swings in the breeze, getting swarmed with wasps. “You see these people and the way they live; they are way behind,” said Villalobos, 33. “I’ve been in a lot of places, but this place is special. Wherever you go you'll not see a place like this. The way I see it, every time I go out it reminds me of the old biblical movies, and I think to myself that these people are way behind.”Villalobos is in the unique position to affect the people’s needs through his mission as civil affairs Marine. His duties entail working with local citizens who come to the Marines with problems, youth shuras (gatherings), and all the locals who arrive at the gate with some kind of offer of contract labor for the Marines. He shoulders much more responsibility than many other Marines of his rank.“He started with typical LCpl. duties,” said Capt. Elizabeth Jackson, the civil affairs team leader. “He proved himself as we went along, and everything we give him he has excelled at.”His most notable accomplishment was arranging a soccer game between Marines aboard the base and Musa Qal’eh’s soccer team. It was an intricate process that required much planning and preparation. Many things had to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish the task.“We were supposed to take the Musa Qal’eh soccer team to Lashkar Gah, but we couldn’t arrange a flight for all of them” said Villalobos. Lashkar Gah is the provincial capitol for Helmand prov., and is too far away to drive, and perceived by locals as too dangerous. “So I said ‘ok, we’re not going to fail these guys; so what we’re going to do is arrange a soccer tournament against the Marines.’”He arranged Marines to play the team at the Musa Qal’eh High School. The Marines lost 2-1, but it helped unify the local population, and with more than 150 attendants, created a sense of community.“It was a community soccer tournament, so it just really kind of brought everyone together,” said Jackson. “The gov. was there, along with a lot of govt officials, so the attendees saw it as a govt-sponsored event, which was another benefit. One of our jobs is to strengthen the govt, and show the people they can trust the govt. It went really well; I was really impressed by that.”Villalobos has proven to be a valuable asset to the civil affairs team. His maturity and work ethic have raised him to elevated levels of respect and responsibility. “He's really impressive; he's probably the oldest LCpl. I've ever met, but that makes him really mature,” said Jackson. “He adapts to every situation. Everything I ask him to do, he’s the kind of guy I can go to with some kind of crazy situation, and he can definitely handle it. He knows how to talk to people, arrange things, make things happen. He’s just very reliable.”Villalobos is preparing to finish his deployment and return home. He's anxious to see his wife and daughters again, having sacrificed much time and memories with them, to deploy.“Unfortunately I missed both of my daughter’s birthdays, being out here,” said Villalobos. “But, that’s ok, because I know it’s for a good cause.”His hard work and dedication have set him apart from many other Marines, and provided a vital contribution to the team. Though he carries the lowest rank in the unit, Villalobos left a lasting impression with those who've worked with him.“He's a serious person, but he’s also really caring and funny,” Jackson said. “He’s really every good characteristic you could look for in a person. He’s only a LCpl., but he takes care of everybody on our team.”
KHOWST PROVINCE – They’re far removed from their nickname, as far as reputation and moral code is concerned. But for 3 young warrant officers, their devotion to family, loyalty, and each other, would make even Don Corleone proud. More importantly, their combined expertise has been instrumental in protecting fellow soldiers and local civilians in TF Duke’s AO.
James Ross, an all-source intel tech, Chris Sherrett, a human intel tech, and Norman Rosentreter, also an all-source intel tech, all became warrant officers within the last 2 years. As holders of the Warrant Officer 1 rank, with its lone uniform square or “Dot” reflecting their grade, they can frequently be the brunt of jokes by senior warrant officers, which naturally comes with the territory for officers new to the corps. All kidding aside, however, the 3 readily show the necessary seriousness toward their duties in the remote provs. of Khowst, Paktya and Ghazni. “A lot of what we’ve been able to do has prevented the enemy from having any major successes in our area,” said Ross. What they do is furnish TF Duke leaders with assessments of battlefield threats, and how to mitigate them. More specifically, human intel techs are primarily responsible for supervising and conducting info collection ops, while all-source intelligence technicians coordinate and participate in the analysis, processing and distribution of strategic and tactical intelligence. Having such timely, comprehensive and accurate intelligence allows commanders to then weigh relevant factors before making tactical decisions.For Ross and his fellow warrant officers, stationed at Forward Operating Base Salerno, their crucial intelligence mission is quickly summed up in just a few short words.“We determine where the enemy is and what they’re trying to do,” said Ross.All three arrived at Fort Knox in the latter half of 2010, while the 3rd BCT, 1st Inf. Div. was away for a month of pre-deployment training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. “Missing out on NTC put us behind the power curve,” said Sherrett.With seven previous deployments spread among the three, however, the former enlisted soldiers with their intelligence backgrounds were quick studies in their roles in making a brigade intelligence section function effectively. Ross’ present deployment is a case of déjà vu. He was stationed at FOB Salerno in 2007 during his first trip to Afghanistan. Because of that experience, said Ross, he’s much more familiar with the area, targets of opportunity, and the personalities of the enemy he confronts daily. “I think we’re doing well,” said Ross, of his combined efforts with Sherrett and Rosentreter. The intelligence obtained and processed by Ross and his team, and taken into consideration by their superiors, has been instrumental in seeing more than 1,000 enemy fighters killed or captured by TF Duke soldiers since their arrival last January. Seeing new aspects of the intelligence field, and on the job training that can’t be taught in a classroom, have yielded other benefits for the three warrant officers, besides the paramount one of removing dangerous criminals from the battlefield. “It’s been a tremendous learning experience, [being] exposed to things I never could have imagined,” said Rosentreter.Sherrett echoed the sentiment. “I’m glad to have deployed as a warrant officer; we’re going to take this deployment in a combat environment as the foundation of our career,” he said.Combat environment aside, the three can usually be found spending their limited free time together, usually by playing cards and going to the gym. Sherrett, who has two children with his wife Alina, and Rosentreter, a father of two with wife Geri, credit family as instrumental in maintaining a positive deployment outlook. “I couldn’t continue to deploy without the family support system I have, and if I didn’t have it, it would really impact my work,” said Sherrett. Even more telling and helpful, is that Geri and Alina are friends, and help each other and their respective families while the 3rd BCT, 1st Inf. Div. is away.The soldiers converse with their wives 3-4 times weekly via Skype or the telephone, which they say does much to bridge the miles. And even though their deployment is more than halfway done, and it’s tempting to look forward to their homecoming, all three know much work remains. It’s important work, doing their best to ensure that battlefield threats are stopped in their tracks, before comrades or innocent civilians are seriously injured. But hearing the three warrant officers tell it, the daily tasks of gathering and processing crucial intelligence information remains much more than just a three-man job, and is made possible only through some very special people.“We just have an exceptionally talented group of soldiers working with us,” said Ross.ISAF Joint Command
ISAF Joint Command Operational Update, Aug. 29, 2011
FARYAB PROVINCE -- A combined Afghan and coalition SecFor detained a suspected insurgent in Almar District, yesterday. The force detained the individual after observing him conducting insurgent activities in the area.
The force then moved to search a nearby compound and discovered more bomb-making materials, including 15-lbs of home-made explosives, blasting caps, and detonation cord.
East
BAGRAM PROVINCE – Four ops in R-C East led by Afghan and CF, resulted in 4 enemy kills, detention of 3 suspected individuals, one escaped prisoner, and a weapons cache found over the past 24 hours throughout the region, Aug. 28. The weapons cache included 11X spider transmitters, 100 kilos of homemade explosive, 4 kilos of ammonium nitrate, aluminium powder, and 1X RPG round. Ops in RC-East are still ongoing.
GHAZNI PROVINCE -- In Ghazni District, a combined Afghan and coalition SecFor detained 2 suspected insurgents, while searching for a Taliban leader, yesterday. The targeted leader participates in kidnappings, hijackings and attacks against ANSF.-30-
Chaplain (Capt.) Alfred Matthews (right), chaplain for 1st Bn, 8th Cav Regt, 2nd AAB, 1st Cav Div, talks to Soldiers about developing positive habits, during a class at COB Warhorse, Aug. 2.