Those are the words of Capt. Gordon Olde, an F-15E Strike Eagle weapon
system officer following a battle at a remote military base about 10
miles from Pakistan that erupted on the morning of Oct. 3 that
highlighted the unbreakable bond between Airmen and Soldiers.
In a steep valley in the Nuristan Province in Northeast Afghanistan,
combat outposts Keating and Fritsche were attacked by hundreds of
militants from multiple firing positions, according to an International
Security Assistance Force statement.
Within minutes, Air Force aircraft were on scene and engaging the
enemy, said Army 1st Lt. Cason Shrode, COP Keating's fires support
officer.
"We received a heavy volley of fire," the lieutenant said referring to
the initial wave of enemies. However, "we had so many different assets
up in the air ... they were stacked on so many different levels ... we
had everything we needed."
Lieutenant Shrode, working from his secondary tactical operations
center because his primary location was on fire from the attack, was in
contact with Senior Airman Angel Montes, a joint terminal attack
controller from San Diego, and Airman 1st Class Stephen Kellams, a
native of Tampa, Fla., serving as a radio operator maintenance and
driver, or ROMAD for short. Both Airmen are deployed from the 13th Air
Support Operations Squadron, Fort Carson, Colo. and were at a forward
operating base about 20 miles away.
With buildings already on fire, a formation of two F-15Es rolled in
overhead and immediately saw the enemy.
"(Tthe enemy) were on the surrounding ridges," said Captain Olde,
flying in an F-15E over the area referring to the combat outpost
surrounded by steep mountain-peaks on three sides. "A major attack was
apparent to us from the moment we showed up. I knew something big was
unfolding before our eyes; all I could think about were the guys on the
ground."
The first F-15Es on the scene were helmed by Capt. Isaac Bell, an F-15E
pilot, and Captain Olde, as well as Capt. Dave Nierenberg, an F-15E
pilot, and British Flight Lt. James Siwicki, a weapon system officer.
All aircrew were part of the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron
deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
Capt. Mike Polidor and 1st Lt. Aaron Dove arrived later over the combat
outpost and assumed the roles of tactical air controller airborne.
"That's something we don't often train for, but they executed it
perfectly by funneling all the JTAC's information to the other jets
that showed up," Captain Olde said. "They did an incredible job and
no-doubt saved numerous lives on the ground due to their organized and
methodical employment of airpower."
Communication on the ground was scarce initially due to the very harsh
terrain, according to the F-15E aircrew. However, they quickly
developed a way around this by splitting up their typical two-ship
formation and placed one aircraft over a nearby forward operating base
some 20 miles away. At this forward operating base, the JTAC teams were
linked to Lieutenant Shrode, the fires support officer via F-15E
aircraft.
"We were in disbelief as to what was going on," said Staff Sgt. Adam
Burns, the JTAC NCO in charge and native of San Antonio. "We had every
air asset we could imagine. We pushed so many aircraft that we never
really worried about ammo conservation."
Sergeant Burns and his ROMAD, Staff Sgt. Sean Quinn a native of
Memphis, Tenn., would later find themselves infiltrating into Combat
Outpost Keating as part of American reinforcements.
"We were able to get comms with the (AH-64) Apaches supporting Keating
and we relayed for them to the JTAC that (insurgents) were inside the
wire," Captain Olde, a WSO with four years in the Air Force said about
the Army's AH-64s.
After a successful bomb run, Captain Olde and Captain Bell went back in
with their cannon and employed a "single strafe pass, then had to head
back to refuel," Captain Olde said handing the fight over to fellow
squadron members.
"I cued the Sniper pod to the burning COP and it hit me how serious
things were," said 1st Lt. Aaron Dove, a weapon system officer and
native of Hudson, Wisc. "The main thing in my mind was to do my job
well because this was a time when the guys on the ground needed us
most."
Lieutenant Dove and Captain Polidor were two that set themselves over
the nearby forward operating base acting as a radio relay and
coordinated airstrikes of a B-1B Lancer bomber and F-15Es all while
coordinating between two bases and Army Apache helicopters with a
thunderstorm rapidly approaching.
"We coordinated and relayed many airstrikes with various aircraft,"
Lieutenant Dove said. "By the time we got home, we had been airborne
for eight hours, strafed mountainous terrain in dangerous weather, and
integrated more than 30 bombs on targets around Keating; none of which
caused any friendly injuries or fatalities or civilian casualties."
Despite claims from the Taliban, both outposts were in the process of a
scheduled repositioning as part of a security strategy to focus more on
populated areas, according to Combined Joint Task Force-82 officials
here.
"Despite what the Taliban say, the COP was not overrun," said Lt. Col.
Clarence Counts, the Combined Joint Task Force-82 public affairs
officer. "Our American and Afghan forces fought valiantly and defeated
a highly coordinated attack inflicting heavy casualties."
"The biggest thing I gained from this whole ordeal is that the real
heroes out here in Afghanistan are the guys on the ground, especially
those who gave their lives so that their friends could go home to their
families," Lieutenant Dove said.
Nearly 100 militants were killed by the combined response that included
Afghan soldiers as well as U.S. air and ground units. Eight Americans
and three Afghans were killed, while nine Americans and 11 Afghans were
wounded, according to CJTF-82 officials.
"There is no doubt that without the incredible air support we received,
it would have been a much worse day," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Brown,
3-61 Cavalry commander from the 4th Infantry Division of Fort Carson,
Colo. "Your ability to keep a steady flow of aircraft and ordnance on
the enemy turned what could have been a terrible defeat into a hard
fought victory."
"My hat goes off to those Americans on the ground who fought so
bravely, especially those who gave their lives serving their country,"
Captain Olde said. "I won't forget them for as long as I live."
David Faggard (AFPS)
# END
