Photo Information

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- Tech. Sgt. Mike Milewski, a crew chief, talks to the pilot of an A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack jet here during an end-of-runway check. Milewski is with the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron’s end-of-runway crew, which is doing a 30-day tour at the base as part of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Squadron. The crew gives each ground-attack fighter a thorough going over before it departs on a mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed)

Photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed

Runway's end home for 'Warthog' launchers

3 Feb 2003 | Louis A. Arana-Barradas

The end of the runway is one of the worst places to work at windswept Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, which is located at the foot of the Hindu Kush mountains.

It is cold and wind gusts kick up clouds of choking dust, said Staff Sgt. Chris Bolt. But the weapons loader spends 12 hours a day, seven days a week out there, helping launch A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

"This isn't the ideal place to work -- that's for sure," he said. "But you get used to it."

Bolt is part of a team of Maryland Air National Guard airmen -- the "end-of-runway" crew -- that give the aircraft a final check before they take off on a combat mission.

The 104th Fighter Squadron airmen, now assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group, say this is their little piece of real estate at Bagram. It is where they work seven days a week to help win the war on terrorism.

The seven-person team does not take its jobs lightly. Too much is at stake, Bolt said.

"If our weapons don't drop when they're needed, it could cost some of our guys on the ground their lives," he said. "You don't want to live with that."

So the team makes sure "everything drops like it's supposed to," Bolt said.

To do that takes teamwork, so the airmen do hands-on inspections of every jet that takes off from this base 35 miles north of the Afghan capital of Kabul. Each airman has a different job. They swarm over the ungainly looking aircraft they call the "Warthog" like ants on a picnic basket.

"This is the last chance to catch any problem the jet might have," Tech. Sgt. Mike Milewski, an A-10 crew chief, said.

When an aircraft arrives at their station, the crew gets to work fast, like a pit crew at a stock car race. The crew chief, egress and hydraulics airmen check for leaks and engine problems, but they also inspect all the aircraft's surfaces, landing gear and tires.

Weapons loaders ensure the proper connection of all weapons and check for stray voltage that could prematurely set them off. When done, they remove the bright red tags that electronically and mechanically safe the weapons. The pilot arms the weapons in the cockpit.

"I double check every connection," Bolt said. "Safety is paramount -- we can't afford slip-ups."

The A-10s provide close-air support to coalition ground forces. The jets are flying or on alert around the clock. On most missions, they carry two 500-pound bombs, a television-guided Maverick missile and two rocket pods loaded with high explosive and white phosphorus rockets. The jet also has a massive 30-mm Gatling gun.

"That's a lot of firepower," Bolt said. "Plenty to get the job done."

There is a lot of responsibility involved in the checks, but these airmen are not new to the game. Most have many years of experience and know what to do in any situation, Milewski said. Pilots count on that expertise because they know that on any sortie they might have to drop their bombs or fire their missiles or gun.

That puts added pressure on the end-of-runway crew. That pressure, mixed with hassles on the job or at home could spell disaster. So team members look out for each other.

"We help each other get over problems so we can press on with our work. So we can stay focused on our mission," Milewski said.

The airmen are not squeamish about what they do. All volunteered for duty at Bagram.

Tech. Sgt. Mike Wilhelm, a weapons loader, said there is no more important job in the Air Force right now than what is going on in Afghanistan.

"We need to do this," Wilhelm said. "The people here are poor and don't have much hope. By us taking care of al-Qaida and terrorists, maybe the people will have a chance for a better life."

While the jets are on a mission, the crew waits. Some airmen sit on a gimpy table or a busted chair near the flightline or inside a makeshift hovel that at least has heat. When an aircraft returns, the airmen welcome each one back. They safe all the weapons -- if there are any left.

The end-of-runway crew's job -- and that of the jets and their pilots -- is day and night vigilance.

The airmen do not relish the thought of their jets returning without their lethal loads. That means there was a fight somewhere, and that some of the "good guys" might be hurt. When jets return with their load that usually means coalition troops were safe for another day.

Either way, the team cannot lose sight of its mission, Tech. Sgt. Chris Liszewski, a bomb loader, said.

"It's been more than a year since the Twin Towers went down and the Pentagon got hit," he said. "Some people have forgotten that we have an important job to do here. We haven't."


Marine Corps Forces Europe & Africa