Fighting two wars

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric M. Grill
  • 455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  With the war on terrorism in full stride, the chances have increased dramatically that people in the Air Force will serve in a combat zone.

About 90 airmen deployed here have directly supported not one but two wars in only a few months.

Senior Airman Kelly Wilson, a security forces airman, and Staff Sgt. Brandi Dahl, a noncommissioned officer in charge of the command post, are two of those airmen who were forward-deployed here in April and June from Operation Iraqi Freedom to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

“I knew there was going to be a war with Iraq,” Wilson, who is deployed from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., said about her initial deployment to a classified location in January. “I just didn’t know at the time that I would also be sent to Afghanistan.”

Dahl, who deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to the same classified location, volunteered to forward-deploy, hoping to experience Iraq, but she was sent here instead.

They both compare each war with the types of threats they faced.

“Because of our location,” Dahl said about her classified OIF base, “we had a direct threat of … Scud missile and chemical (attacks). Here, the threat is grenades, small arms and land mines.”

Referencing three coalition forces funeral processions here, Wilson said, “We see the war on terrorism here up close and personal.”

Before arriving in Afghanistan, Wilson and her security forces group spent two weeks inside Iraq and saw the people’s suffering.

While on a patrol, she went into a desolate area that had only one small tent to house at least 15 children and 10 adults, Wilson said.

“The Iraqi people wanted us there,” she said. “We gave them (Meals, Ready to Eat, Chapstick) and anything else that we had in our pockets. They needed a lot of help.”

Wilson said she would remember that patrol for the rest of her life.

In Afghanistan, Wilson said she feels the threat to her safety is also greater.

“We have people like … al-Qaida and other terrorists who don’t want us here,” she said.

For Dahl, doing her wartime job in the command post is rewarding.

“We are busier here because we’re performing both the command-post function and base-operations functions,” Dahl said. Part of her job is to coordinate transient aircraft in and out of Bagram’s airfield, she said.

Dahl said she agrees with Wilson on the threat here, mostly because like everyone else, she carries a weapon with her wherever she goes.

“Regardless, I’ve had great experiences at both locations,” Dahl said. “I would do it all over again.

“I am honored to directly support the missions of improving the quality of life in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and more importantly, I’m also ensuring the security of my family and friends in the United States,” Dahl said.

Being part of both operations also gave Wilson a unique perspective on military life. At her home station, she spent seven months on the base honor guard where she performed countless funeral processions for military veterans.

“I come from a military family and have a great appreciation for what our people are doing both here and Iraq,” she said. “A lot of people back home don’t understand the sacrifices people in the military make. Hearing the eulogies at funerals and now seeing (war) firsthand gives me a unique perspective.

“I’ve come to appreciate the sacrifices those people fighting before me have made,” she said.

While the airmen did not plan on fighting two wars, as they prepare to return home they said they are proud to be doing their part to keep America safe.