Retired Sarge
Silver Member
Hard to imagine it's been 23 years already.....!
My job was Aircrew Life Support.
I was an Air Reserve Technician assigned to an AFSOC unit when it happened. The unit put us on Active Duty orders for a week or so then our Presidential Activation Orders came down. We would be activated for 2 consecutive years in the end.
Between 9/11 and when we deployed a week or so into October, it was a flurry of activity. Spent those few weeks getting aircrew trained in Desert Survival, doing Combat Survival refresher, E&E refresher. Teaching coworkers how to program the survival radios and GPS's. Teaching the aircrews how to use them.
Then two long legs going over, in our MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft. Florida to Rota Spain, then Rota to Masirah Island Oman. We hit the ground, found somewhere to work, got the software for programming the radios and GPS's and got to work. Got with Intel and with the Rescue Authority to get what I needed and briefed the crews.
A few days later on 18/19 Oct 2001, hit night went off. Two young Rangers sitting in a chopper across the border in Pakistan as part of the QRF were killed when the helicopter they were on experienced a Brown-Out and rolled pinning them.
By December 2001, our Task Force (TF Sword) had completed its primary objective and would be reconstituted some sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Our unit and sister unit stood up in Uzbekistan with a new crew, and we would fly home, but I only spent 90 days home and then headed off to Uzbekistan.
We weren't allowed phone calls, emails, or snail mail until after Thanksgiving when we were in Oman. Cameras were frowned upon and taking pictures in the living compound was strictly prohibited until Dec 2001.
Camp Justice had two living sides White Ops and Black Ops and we lived on the Black Ops side
At Marisah I was coined by a DEVGRU NSWCPO (SEAL) H*****on for assisting them with equipment and training. Our unit was coined with the 75th Rangers Commander's coin.
In Uzbekistan a Green Beret and I swapped unit coins. A few days later he was KIA, a building at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California is named for him.
These three coins hold special meaning for me.
Weird looking back at the pictures, we were so young. Now our bodies are riddled with medical conditions and other issues. But the memories, the dates, incidents, etc are still fresh in our minds.
Pic 1 Dec 2001 awaiting transportation home. L-R Jere, Me (Mike), Sue, Mike.
Pic 2 June 2002 the K2 Uzbekistan chemical agents scare. Yeap me dressed up to retrieve all our survival and flight gear. L-R Brett, Me.
Pic 3 Shop picture Dec 2001 with our Life Support Officer. L-R Me, Sue, Jere, Randy (LSO), Mike.
Pic 4 Dec 2001 break time back at the tent. L-R Me, Jere.
Pic 5 Me posing with the Pave Hawk gun 2002.
Pic 6 Us with the shop sign in Dec 2001, as we pack up to head home. L-R Mike, Jere, Sue, Me.
Pic 7 Same shop sign hanging in my house. Co-workers insisted I keep it.
Pic 8 Me with a Gunship Howitzer 2002.
Pic 9 a lithograph of one of our birds. A MC-130E Combat Talon I, 711th Special Operations Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing. We would end up with the distinction of being the most decorated and highest decorated Air Force Reserve unit for GWOT.
Pic 10 Apr 2002 Butt-Head our female Camel Spider with my full size Zippo Lighter.
My job was Aircrew Life Support.
I was an Air Reserve Technician assigned to an AFSOC unit when it happened. The unit put us on Active Duty orders for a week or so then our Presidential Activation Orders came down. We would be activated for 2 consecutive years in the end.
Between 9/11 and when we deployed a week or so into October, it was a flurry of activity. Spent those few weeks getting aircrew trained in Desert Survival, doing Combat Survival refresher, E&E refresher. Teaching coworkers how to program the survival radios and GPS's. Teaching the aircrews how to use them.
Then two long legs going over, in our MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft. Florida to Rota Spain, then Rota to Masirah Island Oman. We hit the ground, found somewhere to work, got the software for programming the radios and GPS's and got to work. Got with Intel and with the Rescue Authority to get what I needed and briefed the crews.
A few days later on 18/19 Oct 2001, hit night went off. Two young Rangers sitting in a chopper across the border in Pakistan as part of the QRF were killed when the helicopter they were on experienced a Brown-Out and rolled pinning them.
By December 2001, our Task Force (TF Sword) had completed its primary objective and would be reconstituted some sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Our unit and sister unit stood up in Uzbekistan with a new crew, and we would fly home, but I only spent 90 days home and then headed off to Uzbekistan.
We weren't allowed phone calls, emails, or snail mail until after Thanksgiving when we were in Oman. Cameras were frowned upon and taking pictures in the living compound was strictly prohibited until Dec 2001.
Camp Justice had two living sides White Ops and Black Ops and we lived on the Black Ops side
At Marisah I was coined by a DEVGRU NSWCPO (SEAL) H*****on for assisting them with equipment and training. Our unit was coined with the 75th Rangers Commander's coin.
In Uzbekistan a Green Beret and I swapped unit coins. A few days later he was KIA, a building at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California is named for him.
These three coins hold special meaning for me.
Weird looking back at the pictures, we were so young. Now our bodies are riddled with medical conditions and other issues. But the memories, the dates, incidents, etc are still fresh in our minds.
Pic 1 Dec 2001 awaiting transportation home. L-R Jere, Me (Mike), Sue, Mike.
Pic 2 June 2002 the K2 Uzbekistan chemical agents scare. Yeap me dressed up to retrieve all our survival and flight gear. L-R Brett, Me.
Pic 3 Shop picture Dec 2001 with our Life Support Officer. L-R Me, Sue, Jere, Randy (LSO), Mike.
Pic 4 Dec 2001 break time back at the tent. L-R Me, Jere.
Pic 5 Me posing with the Pave Hawk gun 2002.
Pic 6 Us with the shop sign in Dec 2001, as we pack up to head home. L-R Mike, Jere, Sue, Me.
Pic 7 Same shop sign hanging in my house. Co-workers insisted I keep it.
Pic 8 Me with a Gunship Howitzer 2002.
Pic 9 a lithograph of one of our birds. A MC-130E Combat Talon I, 711th Special Operations Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing. We would end up with the distinction of being the most decorated and highest decorated Air Force Reserve unit for GWOT.
Pic 10 Apr 2002 Butt-Head our female Camel Spider with my full size Zippo Lighter.
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