23 Apr 99

During war, a lot of attention goes to the pilots and their mission…well deserved I must add. However, there is a lot going on behind the scenes to make this war effort happen that many people don’t know about. I’d like to briefly introduce you to only a portion of "behind the scenes" action.

Behind the scenes at Life Support with MSgt Valpey, 6 Apr 99, 1500hrs:

Behind the scenes at HAS 65, 6 Apr 99, 1630:

14 Apr 99

I managed to break away from the daily grind of computerizing, writing reports, and doing all the stuff we "paperpushers" do, and head to church for 1830 Bible study. Afterwards, I got a chance to speak with one of our pilots Capt Nate "Rip" Smith, and told him I’d love to hear any war story that he might have. One that came to mind for him instantaneously was the downed F117, and how angry he was to hear that it had happened, and how he so badly wanted to do something, and how helpless he felt not knowing what was going on with the rescue efforts. I could see the expressions on his face, and could readily empathize with him. He was even more upset that he had gotten into a motorcycle accident a few days prior to our conversation, and had broken his thumb (I believe this may be where he got the name "Rip"), therefore, he is unable to fly for a few weeks. No matter what the Chaplain said to him to ease his distress about not being able to fly right now, he just didn’t want to hear it…his final words were "This is what I’ve trained to do…to fly in combat…and now I can’t because of this thing (raises his casted arm which is dawned in purple – our squadron color)". I can only imagine how he must feel…all of his comrades, the guys that he trains with day in and day out for combat, are out there fighting a war without him.

It’s about 1400 hrs, 24 Mar 99. Our first set of jets are getting ready to take off for a CAP (combat air patrol) mission. A CAP mission are fighters that go up loaded with missiles prior to the bombers to ensure the bombers don’t encounter attack from other aircraft or ground weapons while they’re locking in on targets to drop their bombs. I get my three personnel troops from the Orderly Room, and one administrator from tech-admin to go on a field trip to the flight line with Captain Jackson, the Sortie Support Flight Commander. He’s a maintenance officer who knows all about planes, bombs, and stuff. He escorts us out to the flight line, and we are teased all the while we’re out there, being called "degenerates, misfits" and the like. We’re teased because we are what you call "paper pushers"; we don’t work on planes, load bombs, and stuff, we simply ‘push paper’ ensuring all the "I’s" are dotted and "T’s" are crossed. However, today I wanted my troops to see what goes on in the preparation of war. I wanted them to feel the adrenaline pumping, to become part of our wartime mission. No more sitting behind a desk and computer, but out on the line seeing, living, and understanding what our on-line troops do.

Apr 8, 1999

I’m up in the break area where a couple of engine troops are getting ready to go home after a long night’s work. I’m interested in hearing their war story. One proceeds to tell me: "Just another day at the job. We’re out there just pushing jets out everyday, good or bad weather. We see the pilots just before they get in the jet and we’re like ‘you guys are kickin’ a__’ and the pilots are saying ‘well, we wouldn’t be able to do it without you guys’, and I say ‘no, you guys are kickin’ a__’, and we go back and forth like this. We just think that everything going on here for this war is just awesome…it’s unbelievable that our pilots are actually going out everyday to fight a war." As I’m writing down what the engine troop is saying, he and his counterpart begin to "brag" about how awesome the 510 FS is, displaying their pride in what they do. They are both tired after having worked 12 hours last night, but they still muster up enough energy to brag about the squadron.

29 May 99

This story comes to you from 1Lt Mike Nachshen of McGuire AFB. A friend who knows about "The Storyteller" e-mailed it to me and thought it would be an awesome story to share with you, and bring to realization that all the hard work you all are doing here is for a very good cause, and is appreciated. As I sat in my office reading it, I was deeply moved, and as usual, the tears began to roll. If this story doesn’t make you proud to wear your uniform 24hrs, 7 days a week, I don’t know what will.  Here’s Mike’s story:

3 April, 1999, 1700 hrs

On the prowl for yet another exciting story from the pilots, I enter the Ops area where all the pilots are very busy with one thing or another, and I’m a little hesitant about interrupting them. I walk towards the back and began to examine the contents of the pilot’s bulletin board. Nothing too exciting there, however, I see a copy of President William "Bill" Clinton’s Speech to the Military Community", delivered 1 April, 1999, in Virginia. Someone had printed it off the computer from a CNN transcription. Highlighted on page 5 of 11 reads: "Let me also say that I had a chance to speak, just before I came out here, with the 510th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base in Italy, part of our Operation ALLIED FORCE in Kosovo, to thank them and to hear of their immense pride and determination in their mission."

We were a 2-ship FAC-A mission that was out looking for targets to roll other fighters in on. The weather over Kosovo was OK, though there were clouds moving in beneath us. We had enough holes to look through though, to try and find convoys or vehicles moving down on the roads.

We received word that there was priority target moving on a road a couple of miles south of Pristina Airfield (an airbase where the Serbs keep some Mig-21’s), so we headed over to the location. There was a cloud deck covering the road that they wanted us to search, however, the airfield had a good size hole moving in on it from the Northwest. We knew there was a SA-6 plotted just west of the base, so we wanted to be ultra careful anywhere near it. We decided that since we couldn’t see the priority target, we’d take a quick glance at the airfield. As Griz 21 passed over the airfield, he called out "I see some Migs parked out in the open – (ABCCC) we’re going to attack some targets of opportunity at Pristina." "Targets of opportunity" was a severe understatement.

3 April, 1999, 1630 hrs

As I enter the Ops area where all the pilots hang out, I’m looking forward to hearing any war story that they may have to tell. Most of them are pretty busy…buzzing around like bees, and can’t really focus on a war story, or they’re too tired to think, or busy catching a bite to eat. However, I do manage to catch a pilot or two willing to tell me a real war story. As I began talking with this pilot about the MIG that he saw shot down on the first night of war I could hear the conversation between another pilot and the mission scheduler. The pilot wants to re-schedule his combat mission flight (probably his ninth or tenth one), and swap out with someone performing Top 3 that particular day. Top 3 is the operations supervisor who oversees the flying operations for that shift; it’s pretty much a 12 hour shift, or whatever is required. Well, it’s this pilot’s little girl’s birthday and he wants to spend some time with his family on this day.

Friday, March 26, 1999
ATTACK ON YUGOSLAVIA
THE STARS AND STRIPES
By GARY J. KUNICH Aviano Bureau
AVIANO AB, Italy

While NATO bombs rained on Kosovo, Perry McCiver prayed.

I prayed for everyone," said the Aviano senior airman who helped load weapons on the U.S. warplanes. "I prayed for our guys, the Kosovars, the Albanians. I hope they all get together and work this out".

Released: 19 Oct 1998

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFPN) -- Although recent events have changed the nature of NATO's focus on Kosovo, maintainers and other support personnel at Aviano remain geared for air operations should the need arise.

Opting to oversee rather than take military action, the alliance extended the compliance deadline to Oct. 27. The decision is a result of Yugoslav President Slobodon Milosevic's agreement to pull troops out of the Serbian province and put an end to Yugoslavia's conflict with Albanian separatists.