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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hey all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just thought I'd relate the day I had yesterday. I
found out Tuesday night that my buddy, the F-16 crew chief in Iraq, was coming
home yesterday afternoon. We knew he was due back this week, but obviously the
details don't get released until the last possible minute.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What an eye opener! We had all assumed when he was
going that he wouldn't be in much danger, being on an airbase and everything. He
said intel told them before they left that there were occasional rocket attacks,
but nothing ever came anywhere near the base. Well, so much for military
intelligence. They had over 100 rocket attacks at their base (Kirkuk) in the
month of March alone, and not miles away, either. He had one occasion where he
had to pull shrapnel from his aircraft, and several where he was pretty sure he
was going to die. He said their base was attacked more than the one in Baghdad.
But not too surprising when you realize the Bathe party headquarters are in
Kirkuk - he has pictures of the arena there where public executions took
place.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But, everyone made it back safe and sound, and they
did an oustanding job. They had a CAS and Recon mission, and were the most
accurate bombers of any of the units at their base - he said the navy unit there
was so bad they had to give them a week off! They also boast the first recon
aircraft to ever drop a bomb. Their unit has a new type of recon pod, I forget
what it's called, I think it started with a "T", but they are the ONLY unit that
has them. Before they got there we were working off photos from as late as 1998.
Anywho, while they have the pod attached it's technically a recon aircraft, and
they had one get called in for CAS, hence the history making
mission.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>He also said that the Air Force demands that a unit
meets 90% of their taskings. They met 112%. Far above and beyond what anyone
else was making. So even with some of the older aircraft, the 127th came through
in flying colors.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>He brought a bunch of stuff home, too. He gave me a
flag that had been flown on a combat mission, a peice of shrapnel from when the
US had attacked his base on earlier operations (we're not sure if it's from
Iraqi Freedom or Desert Storm, though), and an Iraqi bayonet. All very cool!
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>:)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So there you have it, folks. A slightly secondhand
but nonetheless real look into Iraq.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brian</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The ultimate responsibility of the pilot is to
fulfill the dreams of the countless millions of earthbound ancestors who could
only stare skyward and wish.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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