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Kerry Barrett ReportingThere are hundreds of people from the 388th Fighter Wing out of Hill Air Force Base currently working at the Balad Air Base in Iraq.
Last week we showed you the role Balad plays in the War in Iraq. This morning, we take a look at the crucial role of the 388th in Operation: Iraqi Freedom.
The sound of jet engines blasting over the desert. Whether it's Iraq or Utah, it takes literally hundreds of people to keep them safely in the air and keep everything running smoothly.
But over here, things take on a different urgency.
Lt. Col. Peter Gersten/ 388th Fighter Pilot & 4th Fighter Squadron Commander: "These maintainers are heros. They realize that we've got one engine and if that engine goes bad, there's going to be a pilot down outside the wire, and no one wants that."
"They know that one wrong bolt, one wrong switch, one missed wire could result in catastrophic failure of the system."
Lt. Col. Gersten says the environment itself presents unique challenges. For one, the air is certainly not as pristine as what we see in Utah. It's filled with a dust as fine as talc. It settles into everything. But, as Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Gerling explains, that's not where the dust problems end. It's a problem they have to focus on every day.
Senior Master Sgt. Joseph Gerling/ 388th Fighter Wing: "The pilot has to be able to see out there. If the pilot can't see with the dust covering it, dirt, fingerprints, oil from our fingerprints and what have, then the pilot can't see very well."
Gerling says that alone will affect the way a pilot is forced to land, take off, dive roll or confront the enemy.
Just a small part of what they do; something they've trained hard for, making sure 24 hours operations from maintenance to morale go off without a hitch.
The 388th is entirely focused on the support of ground troops. The pilots of the 4th are called in when the troops need help, and everyone in the 388th helps keeps the pilots and the jets safe in the air.
Kerry got the rare chance to ride along on an actual combat mission. She'll share that experience Wednesday on Eyewitness News Today.
