Not all warriors wear green: Air Force JTACs earn respect

Courtesy Photo | Airman 1st Class Adam Green rests momentarily at a seized enemy position while on a mission with Task Force Spartan infantrymen.  

JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN

04.18.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

Story by Spc. Jon Arguello
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Airmen called Joint Terminal Attack Controllers or members of the Tactical Air Control Party are aligned with Army units and are every bit as tough and hardened as Army infantrymen.

JTACs and TACPs live, eat and march the mountains with the infantry and stand ready to call in close air support for the troops they are embedded with.

"Eighty percent of our deployment is spent in the field," said Airman 1st Class Adam Green, a native of Chandler, Ariz. "Day to day we're out with the 'Joes' on the ground playing cards or getting in contact and putting bombs on the target."

"We bring the fast movers to the table – fast carriers that carry a lot of ordnance, like A-10s," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Derek Wilson from Sacramento, Calif. "There's no better feeling than being in a firefight and having an A-10 arrive choc-full with bombs."

"[We have artillery support] but nothing is going to put more firepower on the battlefield than a 1,000 pound bomb or multiple 1,000 pound bombs," said Green. "That's what we bring."

Calling in bombs on the enemy is not as easy as making a telephone call.

"In a firefight you have to de-conflict fires and airspace; you have guys on the ground yelling at you to get bombs on the target; you have to know the rules of engagement," said Wilson. "You have to bring in those bombs within the perimeter of war. You have to keep a calm head."

The two Airmen did not exaggerate their roles or the austerity of their living.

"These guys spend more time outside the wire than inside," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Mann, from Jacksonville, Fla. "Green spent 48 days in a foxhole up in the mountains and Wilson spent six months with (other governmental agencies) before we got here. You're not going to see any other career field in the Air Force spend that much time outside of the wire."

The role of the weapons systems they support is huge on the battlefield. Many times all it takes is a show of force. Just the roar of aircraft getting closer saves lives by intimidating the enemy into breaking contact. It allows friendly forces to act on the change of momentum and pursue or close in on and kill the enemy, said Mann.

"Within months of finishing (technical training) school, these Airmen see combat," said Mann, a onetime instructor at JTAC school. "When I was teaching at the school, I use to tell these guys 'you're going to be in combat. You're going to see friends die, maybe not your Air Force friends, but the Soldiers you become friends with.' But of the 800 students I trained, I never talked to one who said 'this isn't for me.'"

Earning the respect of the infantrymen is a process. Short of dropping bombs and neutralizing the enemy, the airmen prove themselves by keeping up, doing their share, and knowing their job. It's a process they're happy to do.

"Yeah, he has to prove himself," Mann said of an airman fighting alongside the infantry. "But, that's how we get our foot in the door. They will earn respect through their knowledge."

"When you first get to an Army unit there is an aspect of having to prove yourself," said Green. "You're surrounded by these 11-Bravos (infantry) and you have to prove yourself. But once you do your job, they appreciate you being there. All it takes is the first time."

"Some people want to look down on us because we're Air Force," said Wilson. "You walk up to the top of a mountain - we keep up with a ruck heavier than most - and all of a sudden things hit the fan and we go to work. We neutralize the enemy and they're glad we're here. It's gratifying."

These Airmen, some of the few in the Air Force that can be seen wearing berets, Army combat patches and Army awards, get a serious sense of gratification from their work.

"It kind of saves the day, so to speak," Green agreed. "It's a war out here and only so many guys in the Air Force are there to take it to the enemy. That's what's satisfying."

"The best part of our job is being out in the field neutralizing the enemy," said Wilson. "Getting bombs on the target, that's what it's all about."

"There's no other job in the Air Force where you're going to get that kind of first hand action," added Green.

For all the effort involved in earning respect, these "blue Soldiers" benefit from the challenge in a true display of character and insight.

"It's a challenge working with the Army," said Wilson. "You have to prove yourself. You can't let them see you slip or they will hold that to you. You have to be at the top of your game the whole time. Not just because you don't want to slip but because you could potentially get someone killed."

The dedication these Airmen displayed is an uncommon one. Although Army units now serve 15-month deployments, these Airmen have only six month deployments. That didn't stop these Airmen from serving their year, however.

"These guys volunteered to stay along with the extension," said Mann. "That says a lot about these guys. This has been the fifth or sixth deployment for Wilson. (Wilson and Green) are doing a phenomenal job. They both have supported every major contingency operation in the past year."

"I saw a poster that said, 'we need a few good Airmen to join the Army,'" Green recalled. "I shipped off to school not knowing what we really did. I didn't really know what we did until I got down range. Now I know exactly what we are doing."

• Date Taken: 04.18.2007
• Date Posted: 04.18.2007 11:19
• Story ID: 9998
• Location: JALALABAD, AF