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Written by David Sarvai
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Tuesday, 02 February 2010 14:49 |
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510th Fighter Squadron Association
Minutes of the Annual Business Meeting
Radisson San Antonio Downtown Market Square
San Antonio, Texas
September 19, 2009
Acting President Jim Colegrove presided over the annual business meeting. The meeting came to order at 9:17 a.m. There were 19 members present.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 02 February 2010 15:16 |
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Written by David Sarvai
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Sunday, 31 January 2010 09:13 |
by Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Connor
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/29/2010 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- A 43-year-old military aircrew association recently set-up a memorial college fund for the children of an active-duty Air Force fighter pilot who died Jan. 20 in Italy.
Following the death of Col. Adrian Poné, who was stationed at Poggio Renatico, Italy with the NATO Combined Air Operation Center Five, the Red River Fighter Pilots Association contacted the CAOC5 staff offering to host a memorial Individual Retirement Account 529 Scholarship Savings Account for the Poné Family's children.
Colonel Poné, an F-16 pilot, was a former 510th Fighter Squadron commander at Aviano Air Base located at the base of the Dolomites at the northern end of the Po Valley. He was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work Jan. 20.
Anyone interested in contributing to the scholarship savings account can go online to the Air Warrior Courage Foundation at www.AirWarriorCourage.org/donations.html to find the donation link. Be sure to designate the Poné Family with your tax-deductible donation.
To learn more about the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, or River Rats as the members call themselves, go to: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=801.
The CAOC5 staff created a memorial page within the CAOC5.nato.int/">www.CAOC5.nato.int public Website. When the site launches, click on nations, then USA to get to the memorial page. A memorial page called (Adrian "Kermit" Poné) has also been put on the Aviano Air Base Facebook site for anyone that wishes to send their condolences to the family. Condolence messages can also mailed to the Poné Family by sending them to: Cheryl Poné, CMR 427 Box 454, APO AE, 09630.
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Written by David Sarvai
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Sunday, 31 January 2010 09:00 |
by 1st Lt. Kim Schaerdel
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/27/2010 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- A memorial service was held Jan. 25 at the Church of Aviano for a fallen Airman.
 U.S. and Italian family and friends paid their respects and remembered the life of Col. Adrian "KERMIT" Poné. Colonel Poné was assigned to NATO Combined Air Operations Center Five, Poggio Renatico, Italy, and was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work Jan. 20.
Reflecting back on an 18-year friendship, which included operational tours and travelling the world together, Col. Patrick McClelland, 31st Fighter Wing vice commander, was the first to pay tribute.
"Early on, I would have described Kermit as a child in a man's body. His was a gentle nature though, one that was not to be underestimated," Colonel McClelland said. "He was hard working, determined, affable and genuinely sincere...all the time. You only have to look back at his career and count the number of lives he has touched to know this is true."
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Last Updated on Sunday, 31 January 2010 09:43 |
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Written by David Sarvai
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 21:47 |
by Tech. Sgt. Michael O'Connor
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
 10/30/2007 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- A pilot from the 510th Fighter Squadron was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross here Oct. 29 for his aerial combat support of friendly forces in the vicinity of An Najaf, Iraq, while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After returning from a local training mission over the Dolomite Mountains, Capt. George Collings was presented the DFC on the flightline by his father and fellow F-16 pilot Major Gen. Michael Collings, the Senior U.S. Defense Representative to Egypt. General Collings flew into Aviano Air Base to present his son with the medal for distinguishing himself by extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-16CG pilot with the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron based out of Balad Air Base, Iraq.
On Jan. 28, 2007, Capt. Collings was scrambled on an alert tasking as the flight lead for a close air support mission of friendly forces: The friendly forces had been en route to a downed AH-64 Apache helicopter when they began receiving small arms fire by anti-Iraqi forces wounding several Soldiers and pinning the forces down.
As the battle raged, Captain Collings located the friendly position approximately 100 meters from the enemy and after receiving clearance, dropped his ordnance and maneuvered his F-16 to an attack axis that reduced the chance of fratricide--friendly fire that injures or kills an ally--while simultaneously delivering a 500-pound laser-guided bomb inside a canal killing six anti-Iraqi forces and incapacitated 30 others. Seconds after impact, the coalition ground forces seized the advantage by storming the position and killing the remaining enemy, secured the crash site, and recovered the bodies of the American fallen warriors.
"I'm a proud father," said General Collings. "As a father, it was really an incredible experience to be here. In fact, I was so choked up--I had to fight back the tears as the goose bumps ran up and down my arms throughout the ceremony. As a fellow aviator, I particularly understand the significance of what George did to be honored and I couldn't be prouder.
"Stability in the Middle East is real important and I think collectively, in what the 510th and the Air Force as a whole is doing in Iraq is contributing greatly to the Global War on Terror."
"It's really an amazing feeling to know that all the training we go through as pilots, that what the 'Buzzards' did down range and continue to do, is making a difference," said Captain Collings. "I didn't do anything any other pilot wouldn't have done in the exact same situation. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to help the guys out on the ground doing all the 'real work' by allowing them to take the enemy position and recover the downed Apache [helicopter and aircrew]."
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Written by David Sarvai
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 21:46 |
by Senior Airman Sarah Gregory
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/18/2007 - Aviano Air Base, Italy -- More than 240 maintainers and pilots from the 510th Fighter Squadron and 510th Aircraft Maintenance Unit deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, Jan. 10.
To prepare for a large-scale deployment such as this one, both units underwent extensive preparation and training.
"We actually started about a year out with the aircraft, making sure major scheduled maintenance is complied with before we get there, so when we are on site we can focus on generating combat sorties," said Capt. Bethany Keller, 510th AMU officer in charge.
Captain Keller added that some maintenance can take up to a week to accomplish, which takes away time from getting the weapons and pilots in the sky.
The 510th FS pilots also trained for the deployment through various exercises and sorties.
"We starting preparing in August after the squadron deployed to the Combat Hammer exercise at Hill [Air Force Base, Utah] for live weapons training," said Lt. Col. Andre Poné, 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander. "We dropped thousands of pounds of bombs and the pilots practiced surface attack and close-air-support training."
In addition to training at Hill AFB, the 510th FS and 510th AMU deployed to Turkey for the two week Anatolian Eagle exercise in June and the Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev., in August.
"At Red Flag we trained in complex training scenarios that prepared us for combat," said Colonel Poné. "After we returned to Aviano, we started a detailed close-air-support training program.
"The whole squadron prepared by conducting numerous combat training exercises," he said. "We all studied the threat and prepared ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually."
All the preparation and training paid off - less than six hours after landing at Balad, some of the 510th FS jets were back in the air, conducting sorties over Iraq.
"We are actually really proud of that," said Captain Keller. "Having our jets flying sorties within six hours is pretty amazing. It's a testament to the hard work our guys did to get those jets ready."
Although the 510th FS and 510th AMU are technically two separate units, the success of their individual missions depends on each other.
Capt. Kevin Tanner, 510th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge, said maintenance's goal is "to provide combat-ready aircraft for every air tasking order mission."
The accomplishment of that goal didn't go unnoticed by the Buzzard pilots.
"The maintenance team performed brilliantly in preparing the aircraft for combat operations," said Colonel Poné. "We deployed all 12 aircraft on-time to Balad, and the maintenance professionals had all 12 reconfigured, prepared and readied for combat less than 24 hours."
The two units exclusively train and deploy together, making the move from home base to downrange a seamless transition. The 510th FS and 510th AMU previously deployed to Balad during AEF 5/6 in May 2005.
"We're really one team," said Captain Keller. "When we're down there, we're all from Aviano. It's a one team, one fight kind of thing."
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Written by David Sarvai
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 21:44 |
by Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Gregoire
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
 2/9/2007 - Aviano Air Base, Italy -- Airmen deployed from the 510th Fighter Squadron took part in the decisive Battle of An Najaf where more than 200 enemy insurgents were killed and 100 gunmen captured near An Najaf Jan. 28.
The Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, to which they are currently deployed, provided close air support in the joint, combined effort to route the enemy in battle.
The 332nd AEW's F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs answered ground forces' call for close air support after insurgents attacked them with small arms fire, and rocket-propelled and hand grenades. They dropped more than 3.5 tons of precision munitions, 1,200 rounds of 20mm and 1,100 rounds of 30mm cannon fire in an area of about five square miles.
F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 14th EFS and 332nd EFS, based out of Balad Air Base, as well as A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the geographically separated 74th EFS at Al Asad Air Base, all participated.
The 36-hour action was the first time all the wing's fighter aircraft have simultaneously employed ordnance in a single operation. Three of the squadrons, the 14th, 510th and 74th EFS, joined the wing's ranks just last month.
Talking directly to pilots during the mission was a Joint Terminal Attack Controller - an Airman embedded with Army ground forces, said Lt. Col. Bob Winkler, an F-16 pilot assigned to the 510th EFS.
Army ground liaison officers routinely coordinate with these Airmen for mission-specific details to better prepare pilots before missions. "Initially, we weren't involved in Najaf since ground forces hadn't yet
requested air support," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Levern Randall, 332nd AEW ground liaison noncommissioned officer. "Once airpower was requested, we supported the recovery operations of the downed helicopter."
First Lt. George Collings and Maj. August Marquardt were on alert when their F-16s were called to scramble. Within minutes of reaching the battlespace, the lieutenant dropped a 500-pound bomb on a position near a canal where the enemy had pinned down friendly forces on their way to the downed helicopter, said Major Marquardt.
The two pilots, in country three weeks, were on their eighth Operation Iraqi Freedom combat mission. "It's not every day the Army wants bombs dropped immediately - that's how serious they wanted to get to that helicopter. It was extremely rewarding to help," said Major Marquardt, who dropped two 500-pound bombs himself during the course of their three hour mission.
"Everyone over here does their part to get the job done - I'm just lucky I get to do mine with bombs," said Lieutenant Collings. "The guys on the ground are the real heroes."
Helping the pilots get off the ground are crew chiefs - the professional aircraft maintainers responsible for inspecting the systems, engines, and motor before and after each flight.
Pilots and ground forces count on these Airmen to ensure the munitions launch. "I was proud to know my jet was doing what it was made to do," said Senior Airman Billy Butler, crew chief and tactical aircraft maintainer. "We knew we had to get those jets turned around and back in the air quickly, and safety is first in our minds when we're under surge operations."
Throughout the operation, the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron sustained normal and surge operations simultaneously, and at one point, had jets quick-turned two hours ahead of schedule. With more than 3.5 tons of precision munitions dropped, the jets were fully loaded for each launch.
The majority of Air Force combat airpower in Iraq launches from the busy runways of the 332nd AEW at Balad Air Base, 40 miles north of Baghdad.
"I'm pretty darn proud of the operations, maintenance and combat support efforts of our Tuskegee Airmen team!" said Brig. Gen. Robin Rand, 332nd AEW commander.
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