Busy Afghan mission leads to recognition

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr.
  • 919th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) --  A 919th Special Operations Wing aircrew recently was selected for the Air Force Association's Brig. Gen. Ross Hoyt Award for their efforts on a mission over Afghanistan in 2009.

At that time, the 10-man MC-130E Combat Talon aircrew led by pilot Maj. Michael Black, then with the 711th Special Operations Squadron, took off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, just after sunset for what turned out to be a very long and busy flight.

"Typically a flight mission lasts five to six hours," said Major Black, currently with the 5th Special Operation Squadron, who served as the aircraft commander for the mission.
Sometimes an aircrew may participate in four events during a mission. On this mission they were involved in nine different events over the 10-hour flight.

Their first assignment was to refuel two MH-60 helicopters at 1,000 feet in one of the many mountainous valleys of Afghanistan.

Next, the aircrew had to pick up 64 Special Operations Command assault members and equipment from the NATO base in Jalalabad and transport them to a forwarding operation base.

"This was not our typical mission, but similar to what we train for at home station," the major said.

The aircrew moved back to refueling duties, taking in 25,000 pounds of fuel through limited visibility and deteriorating weather conditions. The C-130 had to maintain maximum power with the tanker to stay connected due to heavy gross weight and high density altitude.

"Because of weather and threats we were not able to toboggan (which is a shallow descent while connected to the tanker)," said the major. "If we are unable to maintain contact with full power, then we would have used the toboggan maneuver to get the required fuel."

The next few missions were refueling missions and an on-call orbit over the mountains as day began to break. For first-time deployer, Staff. Sgt. Ronald Bacon, it was a chance to finally see their constant training put into action.

"We train so our procedures are second nature," he said. "So when the time came, we were able to rely on what we knew. It gave me a new perspective though, to see those different training scenarios put into practice in the real world in this one mission."

Then the 711th aircrew was called in to pick up the assault forces that had been dropped off earlier, this time with detainees. With the pick-up, the aircraft was at its max weight of 155,000 pounds.

On their return to Bagram Airfield, the MC-130E offloaded 10,000 pounds of fuel to two MH-47 helicopters under an AC-130 gunship escort due to daylight conditions. All passengers and cargo were still aboard.

"Due to operational hazards of being in a combat environment, daylight operations put SOF assets at a much higher risk," the major said. "Being low to the ground and slow airspeed for helicopter refueling, we were extremely vulnerable to attack."

After more than 10 hours in the air, the aircraft touched down back at Bagram with the mission completed.

"When an operation happens, everything is time-sensitive," the major said. "We have to be flexible and prepared. That night was about both flexibility and preparation. The crew had to work together and be 'on top of their game.'"

Communication also was a key to success," he said. :We had to get accurate information from all players to be able to execute our mission successfully."

According to the awards package, the mission was recorded as the highest-risk mission of the 5,400 hours flown by MC-130s for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Crew members were:  Maj. Michael B. Black, aircraft commander; Maj. John P. Stone II, pilot; Col. Bruce R. Taylor, airborne mission commander; Lt. Col. Thomas D. Mims, navigator; 1st Lt. Patrick A Hobgood, navigator; Lt. Col. Christopher E. Snider, electronic warfare officer; Staff Sgt. Ronald D. Bacon, flight engineer; Chief Master Sgt. Michael A. Klausutis, airborne communication electronic system; and Senior Master Sgt. Keith M. Poole, loadmaster.