Personal Experience Paper: Operations Prior To And During Operation Enduring Freedom

Responsible for the program of instruction and daily flight operations for the Army's UH60 Blackhawk Flight School XXI, management of the Aircrew Training Program and the professional development and general health and welfare of 151 assigned personnel and 252 student pilots. Responsible for the risk management, mission approval process, standardization and training of a company which daily launches 98 helicopters in day, night, IMC, and night vision goggle modes of flight. As an instructor pilot, responsible for maintaining the highest level of proficiency in the UH-60 A/L and Mike model in all modes of flight, training student pilots, conducting flight evaluations, and enforcing aviation standardization and overall unit safety procedure.

Serving in the United States Navy, Army, and North Carolina Army National Guard for a combined total of 21 years before honorably retiring in July 2013 has always been one of many life achievements that I have been profoundly fond of. During my Army tenure, I was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as one of a few non-Special Forces support medics for the 3rd Special Forces Group. In order to stay assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, it was highly recommended that all soldiers were Airborne qualified. So, I was able to overcome my fear of heights by successfully completing Airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia and earning my parachutist’s badge before returning to Fort Bragg. While still assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, I participated in the State Department’s African Response Crisis Initiative with assignments located in Northern Africa. I would accompany Special Forces operators and provide support as they would provide training based on a common peacekeeping doctrine and the supply of interoperable communications equipment, which would enable the units to work together more effectively.

Though serving in a highly disciplined, well trained, and well equipped force, I faced mental and physical adversity, a numerically superior enemy, and a dynamic battlefield. I served with fellow Noncommissioned Officers and leaders with vast tactical combat experience, but we were operating in highly restrictive terrain behind enemy lines. As we worked to create breathing room for the Battle Space Owner and defeat the insurgents on their own turf, we took several casualties and would be tested in our ability to remain equally dynamic to the battlefield, bring every asset to bare to accomplish the mission, and adapt our common tactics in order to survive.

My experience includes three deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and one deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). This is an account of the first few days of my third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Sergeant, I deployed to OIF in 2007 with Darkhorse Troop, 6-8 CAV, 3-1 AD. My platoon was composed of twenty-two scouts, a medic, a forward observer (FO), and eight HMMWV’s. We received eight Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) after six months of the fifteen month deployment. I was a team leader in my platoon’s Bravo section. Our squadron was first assigned to FOB Falcon. After four months, we were relocated to COP Fish (later renamed COP Derby). COP Fish was located 10 miles south of FOB Falcon, down a road that was known as Chicken Run. The COP was surrounded by vast amounts of mud huts, empty fish ponds, and several chicken huts, where insurgents were known to conduct random attacks on United States soldiers. The insurgents in the area were known to use both direct and indirect fire.

The face of how Army Reserve Soldiers mobilize to support contingency operations around the globe has changed very drastically in the last half century. In their report titled, Reserve Component Personnel Issues: Questions and Answers (2013), Kapp and Torreon noted the increased pressure on reservists and employers:

In August 1990, the CPT Joe D'Antona, started the command of B / 2-7 ADA in Dhahran air base, marking the beginning to the participation of the ADA in Operation Desert Storm (USC Army ROTC, nd). During the Operation Desert Storm, various changes were made to the Patriot system, including the development and updating of the system, alignment and construction of five hundred new missiles. ADA, had an active participation in Desert Storm, defending the activities of the divisions and defense of critical assets in Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The first, Army's Avenger Battery deployed during Desert Storm was 4-5 ADA / 1st Cavalry Division, being also one of the first units to lose a soldier under hostile

Webster defines sustainment as “The act of sustaining; maintenance; support”. ADRP 4.0 states that the endurance of the Army forces is primarily the function of their sustainment. Sustainment determines the depth and duration of Army operations. All over Army doctrine you will see references to sustainment. It is critical to any Army operation no matter how small and simple to large and complex. If leaders do not think about or are afforded the opportunity to plan and coordinate sustainment operations into their task, then the outcome could be devastating. Inadequate sustainment planning not only devastates the mission, but also the soldiers, citizens, equipment and habitat involved. One would think that for sustainment to be successful

For the last decade, the Army has been actively engaged in the War on Terror. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) began on October 7, 2001 with allied air strikes on Taliban and Al Quada targets in Afghanistan. Even though United States President Barrack Obama announced the drawdown of Armed Forces in Afghanistan by the end of 2016, OEF would have lasted 15 years, becoming the Army’s longest war in the United States history (Taylor, 2014). On the other hand, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) lasted approximately 105 months, beginning in March 2003 and lasted until December 2011 with the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq (Schifrin, 2011). Between OEF and OIF, over 2 million American Military personnel have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan or both

Operation Enduring Freedom began on October 7, 2001. The main focus was to dismantle Al Qaeda and deny the Taliban from holding power in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden was the founder and head of Al Qaeda, who was captured and killed in May in Pakistan. Although Osama was killed, this did not mean that Al Qaeda was destroyed. Osama had multiple Taliban Leaders who helped put organization to the terrorist group, one of these individuals being Ahmad Shah. Ahmad Shah was the leader of the Taliban known as the “Mountain Tigers”. Once Ahmad Shah’s whereabouts were known, Operation Red Wings was placed into effect. The Navy SEALs and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) were the key players in Operation Red Wings.

While the brigade continued to combat the global war on terrorism the Soldiers within the organization continued to demonstrate exceptional meritorious service in Afghanistan, during Operation Enduring Freedom. While assigned to multiple locations in combat theatre, the Soldiers in the brigade contributed full spectrum aviation support to the overall successful accomplishment of the Regional Command West and International Security Assistant Forces; once again, earning the brigade another Meritorious Unit Citation (Army, U.S. Army Center of Military History, 2013).

The lessons learned from both the Arab-Israeli war of 1973 and Operation Desert Storm where the American lead coalition defeated the Iraqi military are numerous however, lessons learned are for the most part only applicable to the variables that existed at the time. It is a better method to examine the lessons and draw underlying conclusions that are applicable regardless of the variables surrounding them. The conclusions drawn from both the crushing success of the American lead coalition in Iraq and the near tragic defeat of the Israelis Defense Forces (IDF) by the combined Arab militaries are; every military learns different lessons from a conflict, human factors and training are a large determining factor in the outcome of a conflict, and

Looking back at this moment in my life, while being part of a military family; I have always looked up to those in my family that had served our great nation at one point in time. Now that I am a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I believe I had decided that I wanted to serve my country the day 9/11 happened. I was in sixth grade and eleven years old, anxiously waiting for Mrs. Lipe to finish her Science lecture, so our class could get to recess and run a mock outside. Suddenly, Mr. Dunn comes in with a terrified look on his face and says, “Turn on the TV,”. Mrs. Lipe turns on the TV and the whole class gazes at the television. Astounded by the news, I was mortified of what was going on and that people could commit such horrible acts to

As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.

The main goals of the Desert Shield operation were the protection of the Saudi Arabia territory and providing the coordination of arrival of the main units and logistic support from the allies. Moreover, the Coalition knew that the Iraqi was extremely close to the Saudi oil fields. With these fields, the Iraqi could control the most part of the oil reserves in the world. Therefore, it is essential increase the coalition forces presence into that country. In that operation, it established a large support system along the main roads providing continuous supply of water, food, fuel, ammunition and other essentials for the success of operation. In middle of October 1990, President George Bush decided increase substantially the number of military

In the evening of March 11, 2009, I was patrolling the streets of Kirkuk, Iraq with about ten (10) other US Soldiers from the 2d BCT, 1st Cavalry Division, 3d Battalion, 82d Field Artillery Regiment and the Iraqi police. At least two military vehicles were part of the patrol. The objective of the patrol was to prevent insurgents a conducive environment for constructing improvised explosive devices (IEDs). We were heading northward greeting Iraqi residents and businesses and got to a part of the street which had a building with an advertising billboard with the inscription 'AL-BARAKA for Cars Trading' on our right side. About ten (10) feet away from three parked white sedan cars, I saw the LTC involved in a conversation with a man. The man