Airmen provide close-air support for patrol in Afghanistan
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Air Force air and ground combat support elements accompanied infantrymen from the 508th Infantry Regiment during a presence patrol in the mountainous region here recently.
(I-Newswire) - Air Force joint terminal attack controllers, who are attached to an Army unit to coordinate close-air support for ground movements, worked closely with an A-10 Thunderbolt II that soared above the patrol.
"Before the war started, not many people even knew there were ( Airmen ) attached to the Army," said Staff Sgt. Ezekiel Rodriguez who is deployed from the 4th Air Support Operations Squadron’s Detachment 1 in Vicenza, Italy. "Now that there are two wars going on in two theaters, a lot more people know about JTACs."
Attack controllers train, live and work with infantry units.
"It's fun," said Sergeant Rodriguez, who is serving on his third deployment. "You're not sitting back on a base. You're actually outside the wire meeting the people and seeing the region. I wouldn't want to do anything else."
Sergeant Rodriguez and Airman 1st Class Chad Williams, who is deployed from 1st ASOC’s Detachment 1 in Freiburg, Germany, sharpened their skills as they convoyed to the remote village of Nakah with the patrol.
The coordination the controllers made with the A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot gave the patrol a three-dimensional view of the battlefield as they left for the daylong mission.
"Basically we use ( close-air support ) in this area as a reconnaissance tool," Sergeant Rodriguez said. "We really haven't used it for its primary purpose, but I guess the way this war is going here, its purpose is recon.”
On a day-to-day basis, the unit goes out on presence patrols to reinforce security here.
"The people know that the 508th is here," Sergeant Rodriguez said. "They know they are always on patrols. Every time they roll out, there is always a bird up above."
Providing close-air support for the Soldiers lets the enemy know that the coalition is armed and looking to keep Paktika secure, Airman Williams said.
"The main thing we bring to the battle is air power, just a show of force to let the enemy know we are here," he said.
by Army Sgt. Douglas DeMaio 20th Public Affairs Detachment
If you have questions regarding information in this press release contact the company listed below. I-Newswire.com is a press release service and not the author of this press release. The information that is on or available through this site is for informational purposes only and speaks only as of the particular date or dates of that information. As some companies / PR Agencies submit their press releases once per week/month or quarter, make sure check the official company website for accurate release dates as our site displays the I-Newswire.com distribution date only. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information on or available through this site, and we are not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in that information or for actions taken in reliance on that information.
Immerse yourself in mystery and magic with two exciting new casual games from Focus Multimedia and Big Fish Games Studios, one of the world’s leading casual game developers. Hidden Expedition Titanic and Azada join Focus’ popular Revival range of super-budget price games and are available in a store near you.
Edraw Max enables students, teachers and business professionals to reliably create and publish kinds of diagrams to represent any ideas. With large pre-drawn libraries and more than 4600 vector symbols, drawing couldn't be easier!
New range of cards launched to make you the cover star.Hallmark Cards in partnership with OK Magazine has launched an exclusive and exciting new range of greeting cards that gives people the chance to give family and friends the A-List treatment.
Many people choose not to pursue an accident claim. The reasons range from knowing the insurance company will settle; to they don't want the legal hassles and expense.
Many individuals and businesses have always purchased their personal computers from a well-known provider to pre-conceived specifications. Increasingly...
The effectiveness of SEO and PPC Services are directly related to the quality and quantity of the performance data that they have to work with. If you are seeking assistance in achieving a higher ranking on search engine results, then we suggest you visit RankYourWebsites.com, specialist in this area. If you have found your attempts at optimization to prove fruitless, the representatives at RankYourWebsites.com will have a solution to increase your traffic.
http://www.vineyardsforsalein.com/ - online island vineyard for sale, vineyard for sale paso, texas vineyard for sale, washington vineyard for sale, tuscany vineyard for sale, vineyard for sale santa, vineyard for sale California
Mark Flanagan, Managing Director of Manchester health and safety, food safety and fire safety consultancy, Shieldyourself, discussed the Scores on the Doors scheme when he made a guest appearance on the BBC’s 5 Live Radio Show recently.
