9 RW reaches historic deployment milestone

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Nicole White and Tech. Sgt. Luke Johnson
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The invasion of Iraqi troops into Kuwait during the summer of 1990 commenced an awe-inspiring, historical deployment achievement for the men and women of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing.

The personnel of the 9th RW and the U-2 Dragon Lady surpassed 20 years of continuous deployment to the U.S Central Command's area of responsibility Aug.17. This incredible feat is believed to be one of two of the longest single continuous deployments in U.S. Air Force history, the other being the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

"This accomplishment is a prime example of how passionate the Airmen of the 9th RW are about their mission," said Col. Paul McGillicuddy, 9th RW commander. "To say that we have supported 20 years of continuous deployments to the Middle East is nothing short of amazing. I am incredibly proud of the men and women of the 9th RW."

Soon after the invasion of Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990, the then-9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was tasked by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to deploy U-2s into the U.S. Central Command area of operation, and 9th RW personnel began the process of deploying the U-2 and support personnel to Southwest Asia and conducting high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for Operation Desert Shield.

"Even with numerous limitations, the U-2 responded well to the CENTCOM tasking," said Coy F. Cross II, former Beale historian. "The unit mission planners often worked through the night to plan add-on tasking, and the pilots sometimes flew missions without knowing where they were going until just before takeoff."

The rapid deployment of the U-2 support personnel and pilots was a first in the history of the program, and the U-2 was used in ways it had never been used before.

"We were tasked to deploy Aug. 6, and we performed our first mission Aug. 17, which was only three weeks after we received our deployment orders," said Lt. Col. Jon Huggins, 1st Reconnaissance U-2 instructor pilot. "It was an exciting time to be part of the U-2 program and witness the incredible amount of teamwork to get our first mission off the ground in such a short amount of time."

The initial reconnaissance missions consisted of flying along the Saudi Arabia-Iraqi border and the Kuwait-Iraq border, providing critical imagery to support an eventual ground invasion. In the beginning of operations, with only four aircraft and 10 pilots, the U-2s flew more than 160 flight hours.

"It was exhausting," Colonel Huggins said. "I remember being so anxious about my mission that I could not sleep at all."

Maintainers and civilian contractors worked around the clock ensuring U-2s were mission ready not knowing how long operations would last or when they would come back home.

"No one knew how long we would be gone," said William Winston, 9th Intelligence Squadron flight commander of mission management. Mr. Winston was a senior noncommissioned officer adviser to wing leadership at the time the 9th RW was tasked to deploy.

"Our involvement with this operation laid the ground work for future deployments and current operations," Mr. Winston said. We've also made advancements in the U-2 deployment process."

At the onset of Operation Desert Storm, the U-2 had already amassed more than 280 sorties and accumulated 2,726 hours supporting Operation Desert Shield.

"I was brand new to the U-2 program when the first gulf war started and being part of Desert Storm gave me invaluable experiences with the U-2," Colonel Huggins said.

After Saddam Hussein's army withdrew back into Iraq, the U-2 continued to provide support for Operations Northern and Southern Watch, which lasted more than 10 years.

Following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the nation's focus shifted to fighting terrorism in Afghanistan and the Dragon Lady was used to gather intelligence on Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region.

"The operations tempo was intense," said John Schwab, then a master sergeant with the 9th Intelligence Squadron. "We would work 12-hour shifts, providing intelligence products because the U-2 was the primary intelligence collection aircraft."

Mr. Schwab, a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, knew what to expect during the deployment after 9/11, yet he felt a little differently about this mission due to the nature of the circumstances surrounding the attacks in New York.

"My emotional state was affected by what had happened, and I was determined to ensure that our mission was completed the best that we possibly could despite the conditions we were working in," Mr. Schwab said.

The current 9th Physiological Support Squadron commander was a new officer stationed at Beale during the first gulf war, and he witnessed firsthand the impact of the 9th RW mission during the first combat operations in the Middle East.

"It's a heritage to this base," said Lt. Col. Andrew Woodrow, 9th Physiological Support Squadron commander. "There is no better wing to be a part of as a squadron commander. I want to pour back into this mission that was poured into me."

According to Colonel McGullicuddy, the support of Beale family members has played a critical role in the 9th RW's achievements in the past 20 years in the CENTCOM AOR.

"We can't ever forget the sacrifices of our families," Colonel McGillicuddy said. "They deserve as much credit for the 9th RW historic milestone as the Beale members who continue and have deployed to the AOR. Their unwavering support has been critical to the wing's success."

Today, members of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron continue to provide timely, relevant and persistent high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance across the AOR. The 9th RW will continue to meet the high-altitude reconnaissance needs of the nation's leaders to support the current fight and any future challenges the nation may face.

"I am both honored and humbled to lead such a group of reconnaissance professionals," Colonel McGillicuddy said. "Anyone who continues to serve at Beale and has served the 9th RW in the past should be really proud of this incredible milestone and contribution to our nation's defense."