Close air support – CAS – is called when friendly troops are in contact and the outcome in doubt, or when the cost of taking a heavily defended objective is outweighed by the value of the objective itself. CAS means groveling in the weeds with people who can shoot back. CAS is not a long-range assassination. CAS is a knife-fight in a crowded room.
And because CAS means soldiers on the ground are in danger, there is nothing quite so demanding, nor quite so satisfying as precisely delivered support. Nor is there anything quite so dangerous: CAS means getting down there with them, endangering yourself for them, hazarding your craft, putting it all on the line. Because they need it, because you’ve got it. You’re on the edge of the battle line, so there’s at least a 50% chance that if you go down, you go down on the wrong side of the line, in the company of people who moments before very much resented your presence on the battlefield.
From the CENTCOM PAO:
SOUTHWEST ASIA The interim safety investigation board convened by U.S. Central Command Air Forces has begun its efforts to gather evidence to determine what caused a United States Air Force F-16C to crash approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad at about 1:35 p.m. Monday.
The single-seat jet was in direct support of extensive coalition ground combat operations when it crashed in an uninhabited field.
Coalition reconnaissance assets and fighter aircraft were overhead when the crash occurred and confirmed that insurgents were in the vicinity of the crash site immediately following the crash.
Ground forces secured the crash scene Monday as soon as the extensive ground combat operations in the area had ceased. The primary concerns of USCENTAF in responding to this incident have been the safety of Coalition forces and the recovery of the pilot. The pilot was not found at the crash site and his status cannot be confirmed at this time. The investigation board has collected DNA samples from the crash site and will release results upon completion of testing.
The F-16 was deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The accident investigation convening authority is Air Combat Command.
Hard.
From the WaPo:
(V)ideotape footage obtained by AP Television News appears to show the wreckage of a U.S. single-seat F-16CG jet in the farm field where it crashed Monday and the remains of an American serviceman with a tangled parachute nearby.
U.S. forces investigating the crash said that insurgents had reached the site before American forces could and the pilot is missing. Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, a U.S. military spokesman, said there was no indication the plane, deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base in Iraq, was shot down.
Al-Jazeera satellite television showed similar pictures Monday, but declined to include the scenes of the dead pilot, saying they were too graphic to air.
Harder still.
Yes hard and harder still. But imagine if the pilot wasn’t found – “hardest yet” would be an understatement. If the AP story is correct, at least the pilot can be returned to his family with dignity and honor.
And what’s with al Jazeera – “too graphic to air”. Since when did they get a conscience???
“Al-Jazeera satellite television showed similar pictures Monday, but declined to include the scenes of the dead pilot, saying they were too graphic to air.”
I would remind everyone that those words are very similar to those used by Al-J when an Italian hostage refused to go quietly, and may well have taken a captor or two with him. For some reason Al-J never ran the footage of that one. I wonder if this Viper Driver didn’t do the same.
BTW, word now is that he was from the 27FW at Cannon.
Mike Kozlowski
SSgt, USAF (RET)
How much you wanna bet he’s being posthumously tortured for the benefit of the insurgents?
GAHDAMMIT.
Pilot to Wingman: “Look, if anything happens, and I’m not saying it will, I’m not gonna be captured.”
Wingman: “Sure thing. I’ll be there.”
Pilot: “No really, I’m NOT gonna be captured.”
Their eyes meet. Both nod.
Wingman: “Roger that.”
From yesterday’s Clovis News-Journal:
The pilot was not found at the crash site, the Air Force said. The Air Force has not identified the pilot nor said to which base or unit the pilot was assigned. Cannon officials said the pilot was not stationed at Cannon.
[...]
The F-16 was home-based with the 27th Fighter Wing at Cannon. Cannon?
From yesterday’s Clovis News-Journal:
The pilot was not found at the crash site, the Air Force said. The Air Force has not identified the pilot nor said to which base or unit the pilot was assigned. Cannon officials said the pilot was not stationed at Cannon.
[...]
The F-16 was home-based with the 27th Fighter Wing at Cannon. Cannon’s 524th Fighter Squadron is deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq.
Cannon has more than 600 people deployed to various places, Cannon Public Information officer Capt. Rebecca Garcia said Tuesday. She said the base does not release specifics of how many people are in Iraq.
Garcia said it is common for pilots to fly with squadrons to which they are not assigned in order to maintain their flight status active.
(Clovis is adjacent to CAFB) Regardless of where the pilot was based, this is sad, sad news. Hard and harder still.
From DefenseLink.mil:
DoD Announces Air Force Airman as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown
The Department of Defense announced today the identity of an airman listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN).
Maj. Troy L. Gilbert was the pilot of an Air Force F-16C engaged in support of coalition ground combat operations that crashed approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad Nov. 27.
Gilbert is assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, AZ and currently deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Force Base, Iraq.
An investigation is ongoing.
For further information related to this release the media can contact the Luke Air Force Base public affairs office at (623) 856-5853.
Say a prayer for MAJ Gilbert.