Bringing flight to the fight Published Nov. 9, 2006 By 2nd Lt. Justin Brockhoff 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office MALMSTROM AFB, Mont. (AFPN) -- For Captains Marc Milligan and Shane Werley, a "normal day at the office" includes anything from shooting instrument approaches and flying security sweeps to instructing younger pilots and dropping cops out of their birds. Soon, that normal day at the office will be flying combat missions with the Iraqi military. Both men, who volunteered for this duty, were selected because of their experience and expertise as instructors in the UH-1 Huey. The position was only open to those with an instructor pilot rating. "I cannot think of anyone more qualified for this demanding duty," said Lt. Col. Bill Thomas, 40th Helicopter Squadron commander. "Both officers are passionate about the mission and possess the integrity, professionalism, self-discipline and technical skills to succeed in such an austere environment." Captains Milligan and Werley learned of their selection for the year-long assignment in June. they will be leaving the U.S. soon to help stand-up the first squadrons of the Iraqi Air Force. "Bottom line, our mission is to get the Iraqis back in the fight," Captain Werley said. He has more than 1,400 hours in the UH-1 series of aircraft. "The goal is to have the Iraqi pilots and crews flying missions within the next year and eventually to have entirely-Iraqi crews flying missions on their own." To get the Iraqi forces to that level, the two captains will work as part of a 28-member flight, specifically geared toward training Iraqi pilots, flight engineers and maintenance crews on how to operate and maintain their aircraft. The specific model of the UH-1 the captains will operate while deployed is the UH-1H, or the Huey II. The Huey II has more power and newer instrumentation than any of the previous UH-1 models and is also designed to operate in the high temperatures found in many of today's combat environments. When the captains arrive in-theatre, the Iraqi-owned Huey II's will be already there waiting for them. To help prepare them to operate in combat environments, Captains Werley and Milligan, along with other flight members, spent five weeks training with the 6th Special Operations Squadron out of Hurlburt Field, Fla. The 6th SOS specializes in helping stand-up forces and training other servicemembers the necessary skills associated with raising new units. "The training we had with the 6th was an eye-opening experience and really helped us understand what we're going to face while deployed," said Captain Milligan. "It taught us that we're going to have to think out of the box and completely rely on ourselves since we're going to be a completely self-contained unit. What they gave us was absolutely mission essential." As with any mission, the captains expect a lot of challenges during their deployment. But both men noted that's the reason they volunteered. "Our new students may often outrank us and they certainly won't be native English speakers, and we aren't by any means fluent Arabic speakers," added Captain Milligan. "I think those issues combined with flying in a hostile environment will be our greatest challenges, but challenge is one of the reasons we raised our hands to go." Captain Werley said it's always been his dream to fly helicopters in a combat theatre. He will also be serving as the UH-1 flight commander while deployed. "This is a big opportunity and I'm proud to be a part of it. We're going to be working with some brave guys not only on the U.S. side, but also on the Iraqi side as well." Both captains will be leaving family and friends behind when they leave for the deployment . In addition, both have nearly completed their respective tours at Malmstrom AFB and following the deployment, it is likely the pilots will move on to another assignment. "This deployment provides an outstanding opportunity for Captains Milligan and Werley to serve their country in a different capacity, executing meaningful work with a sense of purpose, and making a tremendous difference along the way," Colonel Thomas said.