F-15 'show of force' saves Army ground troops

  • Published
  • By Maj. Ann Peru Knabe
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  “It’s so frustrating to come under attack, and see another one of our soldiers hurt,” said “AJ,” a Joint Terminal Attack Controller who supports the U.S. Army infantry in Iraq. “This time one of our guys lost a leg and several fingers,” said the major. “But it could have been worse if the Strike Eagles hadn’t arrived on the scene.” 

While hundreds of F-15E sorties fly through the Iraqi skies in any given week supporting troops on the ground, this recent mission stands out in two 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron crews’ minds as particularly memorable. 

“We were called in to support the Army,” recalled a 336th EFS pilot who goes by the call sign “JJ.” “It was the type of mission we always train for, so we were prepared to offer any support we could. I just didn’t realize how much it would mean to me later.” 

JJ and his weapon systems officer “Dez” flew the lead fighter into Iraq. They were closely followed by another fighter, piloted by an aircraft commander named “Voodoo” and a weapon systems officer named “Bigus.” 

Once over Iraq, the two crews received a radio call from AJ, the JTAC on the ground. AJ was part of a team patrolling the streets in an Iraqi city. 

“JJ and I were in the lead jet, and Bigus and Vodoo were in the second one,” explained Dez, a major who has been flying seven years. “The JTAC called us to help support about 20 Army soldiers on foot patrol. And we flew right to the location.” 

As the aircrew monitored the forces on the ground using their target pods to track movement, an improvised explosive device went off. 

“We knew right away something was wrong,” said Dez. “The guys on the ground all took cover.” 

The aircrews watched from above as the troops scrambled to the edge of the street. 
Seconds later, AJ called from the ground and confirmed what the aircrew suspected; an IED had exploded, severely wounding a soldier. The JTAC asked the F-15E crews to stay close in case the person who planted the IED was in the area. 

Then the shooting started. 

“We could see hundreds of tracer rounds through our (night vision goggles),” said Captain Voodoo, an F-15 pilot with five years flying experience. “But we couldn’t see the bad guys.” 

Both weapons systems officers worked to get their sensors honed in on the location where the fired rounds were coming from. From the ground, AJ told them where the “friendlies” were so the pilots could differentiate between friendly forces and insurgents. 

“The controller was remarkably cool among the chaos,” said Bigus, a WSO who has flown for two years. “Despite all these bullets firing around him, the JTAC calmly radioed in, saying something like ‘we got (the enemy) moving all around us, getting real close now; I’ve got tracers flying right over my head.’ He sounded so calm during an incredibly stressful situation.” 

As the guns continued firing, the pilots’ biggest concern was the wounded soldier on the ground. 

“The wounded soldier was completely vulnerable,” said Bigus. “I can’t imagine what he was thinking and what the other soldiers were going through. The only way to describe it would be to say they were in the most dangerous neighborhood in a city, and a bomb had just gone off, and they were being shot at from all directions, all in complete darkness.” 

Still calm, the JTAC called for a quick reaction force and helicopter. But, it would take time to get these on location. So, the Air Force major on the ground requested “shows of force” from the F-15Es. 

“AJ asked us to fly as low as we could and give as much noise as possible to scare off the insurgents,” said Dez, marveling at the calmness displayed by the JTAC. “In the midst of the chaos of bullets ricocheting off rooftops, the JTAC remained even keeled.” 

The F-15Es flew more than 500 miles per hour over the combat location maximizing full afterburner. JJ and Dez flew the first two passes while Bigus and Voodoo flew higher, watching the soldiers on the ground while keeping an eye on the lead fighter. 

As the shooting intensified, so did the radio chatter. 

“My command to Voodoo and Bigus was two words,” said JJ. “I said ‘Do it.’ And they executed flawlessly.” 

The last low-level pass did the trick. The fighters flew several passes, dispensing flares each time, and the shooting stopped. 

“A couple of Strike Eagles flying low over your head in full burner spitting white-hot flares will get anyone’s attention,” said Bigus. “I think we clearly communicated how serious we were about taking care of our brothers on the ground.” 

Dez said they stayed with the Army from the moment they called, until they were safely back at their forward operating base. “We were committed to getting them all back safe,” he explained. 

JJ, who is a lieutenant colonel, said it was the “most meaningful mission” he’s flown in his 16 years of service. 

“The Army Soldiers in Snoopy Patrol were incredibly brave men,” he said, referring to the troops who trace their lineage to the same unit as the “Band of Brothers.” “They were fiercely fighting back against a smart enemy with precise teamwork to protect their wounded Soldier. I have nothing but respect for all of them.” 

The biggest surprise came several days later, during some post-battle e-mail communications. 

Concerned about the fate of the wounded soldier, JJ contacted the Marine Corps in Iraq. Eventually, his e-mail was forwarded to AJ, the Air Force major who had served as the JTAC on the ground during the battle. AJ then e-mailed JJ back. 

“I saw his signature block and was shocked to realize I knew him,” said JJ. “I had thought his voice sounded familiar over the radio, and when I received his e-mail, it all came together. AJ and I flew T-38s together 14 years ago in Mississippi. He was exceptional in a tough situation.” 

The other pilots agree with JJ’s assessment and cited the courage displayed by the soldiers during the crossfire. 

“I can’t emphasize enough how brave those young Army guys were in such a dangerous situation,” said Voodoo, recalling the incident. “And to think these soldiers put their lives on the line every night to make a bad neighborhood safer. And they do it without questioning.” 

Although he knows ground forces put their lives on the line every day, JJ said the vicious firefight with close air support was unusual. 

“This scenario is actually quite rare now compared to 20 months ago,” said JJ. “Back then, we were shooting more and delivering a lot of bombs. Now, we typically do a lot more observing and monitoring as our ground forces and the Iraqi forces clean up these bad neighborhoods. 

The lieutenant colonel said this type of scenario is often practiced in training back at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., where the pilots are deployed from. But it was the first time the two crews executed the specific tasking together in a real war-time setting. 

“It’s like playing football,” said Dez. “You practice it over and over, until you finally get to play the big game.” He said he was impressed with the joint effort involving the Air Force, Army and Marines. 

“The bottom line is we are all grateful to have accomplished this mission,” said Dez. “We know we helped these courageous men defend themselves, and we did it without any collateral damage.” 

AJ, himself, credits the 336th EFS aircrews for saving the Soldiers. “I’m convinced the Strike Eagles broke off the attack,” said the major. “Their support was outstanding.” 

Editor’s note: For operational security reasons, the 336th EFS aircrew members were only identified by their call signs intentionally.