Airmen stay busy despite end of major hostilities in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
Even though hostilities in Iraq appear to be winding down, airmen who fly combat missions over that war-torn nation say their job is not finished yet.

"We still have pockets of resistance in various areas, and until we have complete control we need to have air power up there supporting the ground troops," said Lt. Col. Grant Bishop, an F-16CJ Fighting Falcon pilot. Bishop, deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, spoke to reporters during an interview April 14 via satellite feed from Doha, Qatar.

"It may look like things are slowing down ... but there are coalition fighters up in the air 24-hours-a-day around Iraq making sure no problems exist," he said

According to Capt. Mary Melfi, an F-15E Strike Eagle weapons system officer, providing support to the ground troops means coordinating closely with them to find out what specific targets they want hit.

"We'll talk with the guys on the ground, the Army and Marines, to find out what kind of tasking they have for us," she said. "They might have a specific goal in mind -- an airfield or a city they're trying to take -- and need us to clear the way."

Successful coordination with ground troops has been an evolutionary process that has been getting better every day, Melfi said. Bishop claimed it was all part of the plan.

"This war has been probably the first time we've operated as integrated forces," he said. "It was a well-developed plan: you had the Army moving in with the Air Force clearing the way, making it easier for them to progress as fast as they did."

The results of air supremacy are evident from up above, he added.

"From my cockpit, as I look down, I know we're doing a great job because you can see (our) tanks racing across the desert with big rooster tails of dust behind them," he said. "They're not slowing down. We're doing a good job, and they're picking up the bits and pieces we've left behind."

Coalition air power's success, in large part, is because of the coordinated efforts of the various strike aircraft, Bishop said.

"Our primary goal is to suppress the enemy air defense systems so folks like (Melfi) can go in and drop bombs," he said. "Probably the toughest job for any aviator is going into a threat that's trying to take your airplane out. We have lots of training to counteract the surface-to-air missiles. Once they shoot them up, we turn in and take them on, one-on-one."

With the air war slowing down, Bishop said the focus of air power is shifting to a different phase.

"It's important to remember this war is going in phases," he said. "You've seen on television that we're flying water and various supplies to the people of Iraq. Obviously, everyone wants to go home and see their families, but we know we have a job to do."

It has become a rebuilding process, he said.

"If that means we have our forces on the ground in Iraq, then we'll do that to help the people of Iraq maintain their freedom," he said. "The Iraqis are the same as we are -- they want the same things: freedom and the pursuit of happiness."