US Air Force,
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan: During the last week of September, crews of the 774th Expeditionary Air Squadron conducted one of the largest series of air drop operations in Afghanistan's history, getting nearly 150 tons of food, water and ammunition to coalition troops in the field.
However, excitement at the accomplishment wasn't just centered on the operation itself, but at what it really represented for ground forces, said 1st Lt. Chris Cook, a 774th EAS C-130 Hercules navigator who participated in the drops.
“We were halfway through our duty day (Sept. 25) when we got the call to return to base for a new mission,” Lieutenant Cook said. While he and his crew flew back, planners and logisticians here were already busy preparing for their arrival.
Earlier that day, a combined group of about 50 coalition special operations forces and Afghan national army soldiers in the Sangin Valley of Afghanistan's southern Helmand province had been ambushed and surrounded by an enemy force estimated to number around 500 strong.
“There was massive fighting and the troops came into contact with the enemy
several times before they had to call for more ammunition,” said an Army transportation planner who monitored the entire situation from the Combined Joint Task Force-82, Joint Operations Center.
When the C-130 crew returned, the urgency of the situation was obvious, and within 90 minutes the plane had been loaded and prepared for its new mission.
“We know how essential it is to get the supplies to the aircraft and properly loaded as quickly as possible,” said Senior Airman Elisa Rosemond, an air cargo journeyman with the 455th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. “We know if the guys on the ground don't get the supplies in time, they might not be coming home.
With the aircraft loaded, the crew headed to the emergency drop zone, fully aware of the seriousness of the mission.
“There was some tension and we could tell this was important. We were more than ready to do it,” said Lieutenant Cook.
Within a few hours, the crew had neared the drop zone, following a path created by a barrage of fire that at one point involved nearly every close air support platform in the Air Force inventory, including the AC-130 Gunship, F-15E Strike Eagle, A-10 Thunderbolt II and the B-1B Lancer.
“The fire going down to the ground lit up the sky and we said 'that's where we're going,” Lieutenant Cook said. “It cleared a path for us to run in and make the drop.”
After navigating at night through mountainous terrain, the C-130 crew found the drop zone and quickly made the air drop.
“We had four bundles and four good canopies,” said Master Sgt. Dave Hess, one of the mission's loadmasters, who watched the bundles land perfectly on target
near a group of Humvees belonging to the ground force. “My heart was racing, but I was proud to be part of it — it was the best mission I have ever been on.”
“The troops were extremely low on ammunition,” said a CJTF-82 spokesman. “As soon as the bundles dropped, they opened them up and went back to fighting.”
Thanks to the combined efforts, including a subsequent supply drop the next day, coalition forces were eventually able to defeat the enemy, killing over 250 Taliban insurgents during the 72-hour long battle.
Less than five hours passed from the first notification to the actual drop, reflecting the sense of urgency that drove everyone involved, said .Lt. Col. Neal Guri, commander of the 774th EAS.
“Most of us train like this for 10 to 20 years and some people never get the chance to make a combat air drop that has this kind of impact for the troops on the ground. This is one of the instances that we have all trained most of our careers for and at the end of the day it is very fulfilling and worthwhile to bring the training to bear,” the colonl said.
