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OGDEN -- Airmen from Hill Air Force Base are making significant contributions to the war in Afghanistan.
Though many are due to be back home by the end of the month, they continue to fly air support for ground troops out of Bagram Air Base.
"Whatever the guys on the ground need, that's what we're there to provide." Capt. Jevon Yeretzian, F-16 pilot
#yeretzian_quote
KSL News received military video and interviews Monday from the base.
"Whatever the guys on the ground need, that's what we're there to provide," says Capt. Jevon Yeretzian, an F-16 pilot with the 388th Fighter Wing, assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.
That means bombs, noise or presence. "If they request firepower from us, we can provide that instantly for them," Yeretzian said.
He and Capt. Anthony Generous are a couple of the F-16 pilots from Hill who suit up every day as part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.
Col. Scott Long was the 455th Group Commander at Bagram until the end of February. Now, he's at Hill. He just took command of the 388th Fighter Wing Thursday.
Long flew missions with the Hill pilots in Afghanistan. He said the the pilots typically fly between 75 and 100 missions during the deployment. When they fly those close air support missions, the colonel said they'll spend four to five hours in the air.
Ground troops will tell the base what kind of firepower they need from the F-16s, and that information is relayed to the pilots. Long said they typically take off with a specific mission, but it routinely evolves into a more fluid operation based on changing needs on the ground.
Right now there are around 250 Hill airmen from the 388th and 419th fighter wings deployed in Afghanistan. They've been there since September, working as a team.
"We can't go out and fly if the jets aren't combat ready," Generous said. "So, our maintainers do a lot of good work. They're out there on the flight lines 24/7, making sure the jets are ready to go."
That also means well supplied with munitions. Staff Sgt. Glen Vart builds tests and inspects the bullets and bombs to make sure they're safe and ready when the flight line needs them
"When munitions are on target and we hear about it, it's a good feeling to know that I was part of that, and I contributed to the mission," Vart said.
But the airmen don't always have to fire on the enemy to make a difference. The F-16s also fly as a "show of force."
"If the enemy also sees us out there," Yeretzian said, "he'll hopefully think twice about trying to engage our friendly forces on the ground."
Meanwhile, Long says Hill Air Force Base anxiously awaits the airmen's return home. He said they should all be home by the end of the month.
Email: jboal@ksl.com
