Gunfighters play important part at start of OEF

  • Published
  • By 366th Fighter Wing Historian Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  This past Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006, a milestone in the 366th Fighter Wing's heritage passed silently into the night. Five years ago, members of the 366th FW deployed around the world in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Many of those involved have moved on and those that have replaced these warriors may not fully understand the gravity of the wing's contributions when it concerns the Global War on Terror. 

In short, in the first 105 days of the war the Gunfighters deployed more people, more jets, and delivered more bombs than any other unit in the Air Force. The Gunfighters also set a number of combat "firsts" and penned yet another illustrious chapter in its already impressive history. 

In the immediate aftermath of the Twin Towers destruction, then Col. Irving Halter Jr., 366th Wing commander at the time, ordered his maintainers to ready the wing's aircraft for war. In concert with this effort, the logistics machine geared up for an imminent deployment. A short time later the call came for the "911" Wing, as it was nicknamed, to deploy and topple the Taliban regime. 

"The first unit to depart, the celebrated 34th Bomb Squadron, proceeded to Diego Garcia just 13 days after the terrorist attacks," said Master Sgt. Yancy Mailes, 366th FW historian. "Armed with eight B-1B Lancers, each loaded with 24 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), the 34th BS along with B-2s, B-52s, and off-shore Navy assets opened the war Oct. 7, 2001. Over the course of three months, the 34th BS became the most sought after unit in theater. With its ability to loiter over the area for multiple hours combined with its complement of satellite guided weapons, it became the ultimate killing machine." 

While deployed the squadron flew 367 sorties in 4,136 hours, and released more than 6.9 million pounds of munitions against Taliban and Al Qaeda targets. Moreover, the squadron dropped more than 60 percent of all JDAMs used in the campaign. 

At the same time the 34th BS was setting up operations in the Indian Ocean, several hundred Gunfighters departed Mountain Home Air Force Base and eventually descended upon Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. 

"The initial cadre of Gunfighters landed in sweltering heat with no place to live," said Sergeant Mailes. "As a lone airstrip stood as the only indication of air operations, the small group surveyed the area and began building a premier air base. The team's first priority was not living quarters, but rather fuel storage and the construction of an aircraft operations center. Six days after their arrival, the combat support teams had the airfield operational. Four days later KC-10s began flying combat missions into Afghanistan." 

While refueling aircraft operated from the dusty airstrip, the Gunfighters shifted their focus to the tent city as well as the logistics and support areas. Up until this point, the Gunfighters slept in several large metal buildings with only 24 inches of space between each cot. The conditions were not the standard that Air Force members had become accustomed to. By Oct. 4, the 366th Civil Engineer Squadron had broken ground and began building a tent city. A few days later several tents began to sprout up from the dusty desert. Eventually the 366th FW christened the site Camp Andy in memory of the first OEF causality, Master Sgt. Evander "Andy" Andrews, a fellow Gunfighter. 

In mid-October, the 391st Fighter Squadron "Bold Tigers" deployed to an undisclosed location and began flying missions in support of both Operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom. 

"Utilizing their laser guided 500-pound GBU-12s, the Bold Tigers decimated enemy tanks and strong holds reassuring the Northern Alliance that America would not back down from the Taliban," said Sergeant Mailes. "In 96 days of combat, the 391st FS flew 483 sorties in 2,965 hours. Not only did the Bold Tigers use every weapon available to their aircraft, but the unit also logged the longest fighter combat mission in history at 15 and half hours." 

By November, the 389th Fighter Squadron "Thunderbolts" arrived in Al Udeid AB. One day after the unit's entrance into the war, its commander flew the first combat sortie. Eventually the T-Bolts flew 244 combat missions logged 1,580 flying hours and dropped 185,000 pounds of munitions. 

"During the deployment, the T-Bolts accomplished many 'firsts' including the first operational use of both JDAM and the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser by an F-16," said Sergeant Mailes. "As well as being the first U.S. fighter unit to operate from Al Udeid, the 389th FS held the title of being the first F-16CJ squadron to conduct close air support." 

While the 34th BS, the 389th FS, and the 391st FS operated from foreign soil, many Gunfighters operated from Mountain Home protecting the United States. Even as it's sister units bombed the enemy, the 726th Air Control Squadron, the Hard Rockers, and the 390th Fighter Squadron "Wild Boars" continued to secure the nation's airways. The 726th ACS was the first unit to establish and maintain 24-hour operations immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. They eventually became responsible to NORAD while monitoring much of the western United States' airspace. While supporting Operation Noble Eagle, the 390th FS flew combat air patrols and intercept operations in support of homeland defense. 

"In January 2002, many of our units began returning home and by May the homecomings were over," said Sergeant Mailes. "By June of that year the B-1s and KC-135s had left and a short time later, the war in Iraq began. The wing's exploits in Afghanistan began to fade into history as the unit took on a new role in support of the AEF system. With the constant influx of new people, the history of OEF became lost to many of the 366th FW's Airman."