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Commander visits deployed Tinker troops

February 5, 2003

By Master Sgt. Darrell Lewis
Central Command Air Forces

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia (AMCNS) -- As hostilities with Iraq deepen and a decade-long commitment to enforce the Southern No-Fly Zone continues, aircraft maintainers here serve a vital readiness role.

So said Tinker Installation Commander Maj. Gen. Charles L. Johnson II as he visited deployed members of Team Tinker Jan. 15.

The general talked with those people who keep and launch E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System reconnaissance aircraft and KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers - expressing his gratitude and hopes for the forward-deployed maintenance troops.

"Right now, we need you to keep our AWACS and tankers flying on these very important missions," Johnson told 552nd Air Control Wing members during a meeting near one of the most strategically important flight lines in modern history.

"Launch those jets. Whatever you do, it counts toward putting those weapons on target," he said, referring to strikes by coalition aircraft on Iraqi military hardware found in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions put in place following the Gulf War. Despite Saddam Hussein's previous agreement to comply with the resolutions, Iraqi forces routinely violate the resolutions in the Southern No-Fly Zone below the 33rd parallel.

Prince Sultan Air Base is a major hub for a multi-nation coalition monitoring Iraq's compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions over Southern Iraq. From the base, tanker and airborne control aircraft support Operation Southern Watch coalition fighter, bomber and reconnaissance aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly Zone.

When Iraqi aircraft, detection radar, anti-aircraft artillery batteries or missiles move into the no-fly zone, coalition forces often execute a measured response in self-defense.

More recently, President George W. Bush has directed America's military to prepare to shut down Iraq's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. In early January in Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors found evidence of chemical warheads for missiles, heightening tensions in the region.

At many locations around PSAB the base motto can be seen on billboard-like signs which read "One Team, One Fight!" Johnson said that truism extends all the way back to the airmen's home base at Tinker.

"The Air Force needs every one of us pulling together to meet the mission requirements to employ every aspect of the weapon systems," he said.

During the flight line portion of his visit, Johnson spoke with maintenance officers and enlisted troops about the communication process between the depot and flightline maintainers.

"It's important to me, and to those of us who are back in the United States, to make sure that we are connected with you," he said. "We can't drag everything over here, but at least when you call back, you need to know that you can get what you need. It may take a phone call or e-mail to shake the tree, but we can get what's needed in the right place at the right time."

Johnson also had lunch with other people from the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, 552nd ACW, 3rd Combat Communications Group and 72nd Civil Engineering Squadron.

Reflecting on differences in how today's volunteer Air Force compares with the one he joined as a young pilot in the Vietnam War era, the general urged the troops to "be extremely proud of what and who you are. Always look in the mirror in the mornings and say 'I'm proud to be on the team.'"

The commander said although deployments in uncertain times can be stressful to military members and their families, "Keep in mind that serving your country in a critical time is something no one can ever take away from you."