Air Force unit trains, fights with soldiers
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
When soldiers under fire ask the Air Force for help eliminating a nearby enemy position, they have to be sure the pilot knows exactly where to drop the bomb. Mess-ups are deadly.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
"From 10,000 feet," said Staff Sgt. Joseph Wojciechowski, "one building looks pretty much like the next one. The pilots need someone who can say, 'This is the line of good guys, and this is the line of bad guys.'"
Staff Sgt. Francisco Alvarado points out some of the equipment in a Humvee used to provide air support for the Army. Members of the 25th Air Support Operations Squadron will deploy to the Middle East in the spring.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Wojciechowski, left, and Alvarado say working with the Army means carrying an equal load in radios, range-finders, night-vision goggles and the like.
Anything less than pinpoint accuracy, said Staff Sgt. Francisco Alvarado, endangers the "friendlies" — nearby civilians and American troops themselves.
Helping to ensure that accuracy is the mission of the 25th Air Support Operations Squadron, an Air Force unit deploying alongside the Army's 25 Infantry Division (Light) to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Working closely with the Army, Lt. Col. Kenneth Dorner, commander of the Air Force unit, and officers such as Capt. George Clifford and Capt. Brian Crawford make sure the right fighter or bomber planes are used for a particular mission, and are equipped with the right weapons.
On the execution end of the mission, ASOS attack controllers such as Wojciechowski and Alvarado will be traveling with soldiers in convoys or on foot patrols.
When close air support is needed, "Wojo" and Alvarado triangulate the target locations and pass that information to the bomber pilots. They also coordinate with Army troops on the ground, making sure friendly fire stays clear of the aircraft.
Because the job requires such close coordination with the Army, ASOS troops spend more time with soldiers than with their fellow airmen.
"We're here for the Army," Dorner said. "We live with the Army. I have guys here who've spent their entire careers on Army posts."
The 25th ASOS's home base is Wheeler Army Airfield. The airmen eat, sleep and do their physical training with the soldiers.
"We take the Army PT test and we do a lot of physical stuff that most Air Force folks don't do," Dorner said, "because our mission requires it. That doesn't mean an airman who works in finance is bad because he doesn't do what we do. We need to be in better physical shape. We have to be able to carry a backpack — a hundred pounds with radios and batteries and stuff in it."
"For 20 klicks," Wojciechowski adds — military jargon for 20 kilometers, or about 12 1/2 miles.
The airmen's rucksacks also contain laser range-finders, antennae for satellite communications, global positioning system devices and night-vision goggles.
The job requires that the airmen be trusted by the soldiers, and that trust doesn't always come easily, Alvarado said.
Taking part in Army physical training and going to respected Army schools such as the Airborne or Ranger training schools helps.
Showing they can carry their own weight during live fire exercises, such as one recently held on the Big Island, is essential.
As the airmen head out to their assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan, that trust will pay off.
"If you prove yourself to them," Alvarado said, "they'll work with you 100 percent. They'll take care of you."
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
