Eagle Country

By Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew, 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

Uvda Air Base, Uvda, Israel — Twelve F-15E Strike Eagles along with 262 Airmen attached to the 48th Fighter Wing, 494th Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England deployed to Israel in support of exercise Juniper Falcon from May 7 – 22, 2017.

The 494th conducted Defense Counter Air integration training with the Israeli Air Force designed to improve Israel’s qualitative military edge through air readiness; while building on the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Israel.

“This exercise was important for the 48th Fighter Wing because it gave us an opportunity to train with an important partner that we don’t always get to train with,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Evan Pettus, 48th Fighter Wing commander. “We were able to build upon our interoperability as a force and increase our confidence that we can employ together cohesively should the need ever arise.”

These training sorties, which focused on air interoperability, gave the 494th “Mighty Black Panther” pilots the chance to take part in flying operations unique to the region; allowing them to become more familiar with the airspace that their Israeli allies are charged to protect.

“It’s important to continue these types of exercises because, one of the great strengths of our Air Force is to be able to work with our partners and increase our interoperability and mutual understanding of each other’s tactics,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Alfaro, 494th Fighter Squadron detachment commander.

Juniper Falcon 17 represents the combination of several bi-lateral component/ Israeli Defense Force exercises that have been executed annually since 2011. These exercises were combined to increase joint training opportunities and capitalize on transportation and cost efficiencies gained by aggregating forces. Juniper Falcon, together with Juniper Cobra (held during opposite years), is part of the annual exercise continuum between United States European Command and the IDF.

By Senior Airman Lynette M. Rolen, 18th Wing Public Affairs / Published February 13, 2017

As a fifth grader growing up in Arkansas, all Jordan Carr could think of was becoming a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

Now 1st Lt. Jordan Carr, 67th Fighter Squadron pilot, has finally achieved his childhood dream.

“We had to do a newspaper article about what we wanted to do for our future career,” said Carr. “I wrote about how when I grew up, I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. From then on, I thought, ‘Ok, now everything I do, I can work toward this and always have a goal, even if it’s super long-term and I’m only a fifth grader, I can make it happen.’”

Throughout all of this time, over 16 years, Carr had support from his family, especially his two older brothers who have successful Air Force careers.

Carr further stated the guidance and encouragement provided by his family and role models kept him on his path to becoming a fighter pilot.

Carr graduated from the University of Arkansas’ Air Force ROTC program in 2013.

Now, he’s a fighter pilot who’s living out his childhood dream and is living proof of how long-term goals can be achieved.

“It feels great knowing if you set a goal, anything is possible,” said Carr. “Much like any other career, achieving the initial title is just the beginning and now you essentially have a license to learn. Every day is a constant reminder that you can learn something new, polish a skillset, or focus on a weak point in order to better yourself and others.”

As a reminder of his childhood goals, Carr’s mother kept the article from his childhood to the present day.

“When I came out here, my mom framed the newspaper article from fifth grade,” said Carr. “I’m living the dream. There are a lot of fun things about being a fighter pilot. It’s exhilirating to fly fast and be tactically minded during the flight, but it’s also a lot of hard work.”

In addition to flying, Carr monitors several additional duties. Although it’s hard work, Carr commented he enjoys his job and finds it rewarding.

“Carr’s most notable characteristic is his positivity,” said Capt. Gregory Schroeder, 67th FS weapons officer. “He’s never pessimistic and his positive demeanor influences everybody else. He works with maintainers frequently and is a great wingman.”

Carr enjoys working with maintainers because it provides him with an opportunity to share his enthusiasm about his job.

“One of my favorite parts of the job is being able to share it with others,” said Carr. “When we do incentive flights for the maintainers, you’re able to showcase what their hard work is going toward. It’s an awesome way to thank them.”

Carr said he also enjoys sharing information about his job with his family.

“It’s always fun to tell them what’s going on,” said Carr. “Especially when my two older brothers speak the language (of being a pilot) and we can talk about the nature of the work and the fun things about it.”

“The 18th Wing is successful because Airmen like 1st Lt. Carr are not satisfied with the status quo,” said Capt. Robert Hendrick, 67th FS assistant director of operations. “He has spent long hours during the week and many weekends at the squadron preparing for training missions and ensuring the rest of the squadron has the tactical tools to succeed.”

Hendrick further commented Carr’s dedication helps the 67th FS maintain a tactical edge and contributes to 18th Wing mission success.

“There are a lot of little cogs that make up the big picture,” said Carr. “I think it’s easy to get tunnel vision, so it’s important to step back and realize we’re all part of a team. No community is better than another. Remaining humble keeps our (Eagle) team performing at a high level while encouraging positive integration with other units.”

By Senior Airman Dustin Mullen, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs / Published December 06, 2016

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The 366th Fighter Wing from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, deployed 16 F-15E Strike Eagles and more than 300 Airmen to Tyndall AFB to participate in Checkered Flag 17-1 Dec. 5-16.

Checkered Flag is a large-force exercise that gives several legacy and fifth-generation aircraft the chance to practice combat training together in a deployed environment.

“While I have no doubt any two fighter squadrons in the Air Force could effectively integrate and succeed in combat operations; pre-deployment training, like Checkered Flag, makes us that much more lethal,” said Lt. Col. Joel Pauls, 391st Fighter Squadron commander.

To assist in augmenting the realism of the exercise, Mountain Home brought the 391st Fighter Squadron, known as the Bold Tigers. The 366th Fighter Wing lives by their motto of preparing mission-ready gunfighters to fight and win today’s war and the next.

“During the next two weeks we’ll get training opportunities we don’t get at home,” Pauls said. “These experiences will make us more combat capable.”

The F-15s play a large role in the success of Checkered Flag.

“We have [most of the current operational fighter models] in the Air Force participating in Checkered Flag, and we’ll get to plan, brief, execute and debrief with them. I think that’s when you really learn about integration,” Pauls said. “You never know when a crisis is going to erupt in the world and our nation will need us to be ready deal with it.”

The F-15E is a capable multi-role fighter, and the 300 Bold Tigers involved in the exercise are passionate about the mission, Pauls said. “Great Airmen are what make the F-15E so capable, and I’m lucky to be surrounded by them.”

The exercise also gives members of the 391st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron invaluable experience as they are forced to adapt to the stress of a deployed location, and still remain at top proficiency.

“We get the opportunity to work with, load and handle live munitions, which are inherently more dangerous,” said Master Sgt. Shannon Wadas, 391st AMXS lead production superintendent. “Here, we are training as if we were going to go to war. The bottom line is we are a warfighting operation, and the only way to train is to actually do, and we get to do here.”

In a simulated deployed environment like Checkered Flag, units must also deal with a new set of challenges.

“At the moment, we don’t have all of our jets and equipment, and we’re trying to fly an aggressive schedule while we’re here,” Pauls said. “Obviously this increases our risk to flying a bit. Having said that, we have an awesome operations and maintenance leadership team, and I have no doubt those leaders will find a way to maximize our training while we’re here.”

But even with those challenges, the 391st FS can count on familiar faces such as the 55th Fighter Squadron from Shaw AFB, South Carolina, to help maximize mission success.

“The 391st FS and 55th FS have been linked since Red Flag in July 2015,” Pauls said. “We deployed together from fall 2015 to spring 2016, flying [Operation Inherent Resolve] combat operations, and now we’re at Checkered Flag together. Before flying our first sorties here at Tyndall we already have a level of trust and familiarity.”

Members of Mountain Home are working toward extending that same level of trust and familiarity to all of the units here at Checkered Flag 17-1.