Comments on: Viper down

By: bullnav

bullnav — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:29:29 +0000

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.

By: Buck

Buck — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:02:05 +0000

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?

By: Buck

Buck — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:02:05 +0000
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.

By: CPT J

CPT J — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 20:51:35 +0000

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.”

By: AFSister

AFSister — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:13:45 +0000

How much you wanna bet he’s being posthumously tortured for the benefit of the insurgents?
GAHDAMMIT.

By: Mike Kozlowski

Mike Kozlowski — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:03:13 +0000

“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)