Chapter 2 - Air Force Heritage Flashcards
The United States immediately focused on protecting our homeland from both internal and external air attacks, and fighter aircraft began flying combat air patrols in the skies over America in
Operation Noble Eagle
11 September 2001
Two aircraft were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center, one was flown into the Pentagon, and the fourth landed in a remote field in Pennsylvania
11 September 2001
injuries and casualties
- 6,000 people injured
- 2,996 people who died including the 19 hijackers.
Crashed at 8:46 am at World Trade Center, North Tower
American Airlines Flight 11
Crashed at 9:03 am at World Trade Center, North Tower
United Airlines Flight 175
Crashed at 9:37 am at the Pentagon, Washington D.C.
American Airlines Flight 77
Crashed at 10:03 am at the Shanksville, Pennsylvania
United Airlines Flight 93
Took the fight against terrorism to foreign soil, most notably to locations where terrorist organizations existed in Afghanistan
Operation Enduring Freedom
The Operation Enduring Freedom coalition primarily included forces from
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and other nations
During Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. sent
350 aircraft to Afghanistan, and Air Force combat controllers were among the 300 Army, Navy, and Air Force special operations personnel augmenting the Afghan Northern Alliance
In November 2001, coalition forces took control of
Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital
In January 2002, 1,200 members of U.S. Special Operations Command, Pacific were deployed to the Philippines to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in uprooting al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf
Operation Enduring Freedom Expands
Operation Enduring Freedom Expands
Abu Sayyaf Group was reduced from 800 to 100 members. Efforts from this engagement created 14 schools, 7 clinics, 3 hospitals, and provided medical care to over 18,000 residents of Basilan
Attention was turned to the Horn of Africa in
Mid 2002
War on Terrorism in Africa
War on Terrorism in Africa
The mission included humanitarian efforts for rebuilding schools and medical facilities, as well as training local forces in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency tactics throughout Djibouti, Kenya, and Ethiopia
On 4 March 2002, this operation was launched as one of the most crucial joint combat operations, designed to remove the Taliban resistance from Afghanistan
Operation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda
Conducted in the Shahikot Valley of Afghanistan, it was a complex battle fought in rugged mountainous terrain under difficult conditions
The men who fought in Operation Anaconda also called it
Battle of Robert’s Ridge
On 19 July 2003, ____________ a Tactical Air Control Party Terminal Attack Controller was supporting an Afghan and U.S. combat patrol in the Gayan Valley, Afghanistan. The patrol was hit in a well-coordinated ambush. He returned effective fire with an automatic grenade launcher and remained exposed to enemy fire while allowing the rest of the team to take cover. When the grenade launcher was hit and damaged, He remained at his post and attempted to fix the launcher. He was hit three times. One bullet hit his body armor, another his Gerber tool, and the third struck him in the left arm. He dropped out of the turret, began first aid to stop the bleeding, and recovered his radio to call in close air support. When the engagement was over, He insisted that all other wounded be evacuated first. After two days in the hospital, he returned to his team to continue combat missions. For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star.
Technical Sergeant Whalen
In 2011, at the height of American involvement in Afghanistan, _________ service members were deployed to the country
101,000
Service Members
Operation Enduring Freedom
Time Period
7 October 2001 – 28 December 2014
Operation Enduring Freedom
Casualties
Coalition casualties totaled 3,486. Taliban and Al-Qaeda casualties ranged from 25,500 to 40,500
Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
300 American Airmen stayed in Afghanistan to carry out operations against remnants of Al Qaeda and help stand up the Afghan Air Force
Working with NATO’s _________________, 28 NATO nations, 14 partner nations, and 11,000 American troops continued the mission of training, advising, and assisting the Afghan Air Force to help it become fully independent.
Operation Resolute Support
In 2002, _____________ was the primary Air Force combat search and rescue medic, pararescueman assigned to a quick reaction force tasked to rescue two American servicemen from austere terrain occupied by Al Qaeda and Taliban forces. Shortly before landing near the village of Marzak, Paktia Province, Afghanistan, on 4 March This Airmen’s MH-47E helicopter took rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire, severely disabling the aircraft. The assault force formed a hasty defense and the team immediately suffered three fatalities and five critical casualties. Facing enemy fire, risking his own life, he remained in the burning fuselage to treat the wounded. He moved his patients to a more secure location under mortar attack, disregarding extreme danger and exposing himself to enemy fire on seven separate occasions. When the second casualty collection point was compromised, he braved intense small arms and rocket-propelled grenade attacks to reposition the wounded to a third collection point. Mortally wounded and quickly fading, he continued to direct patient movement while transferring responsibilities to another medic. His selfless efforts resulted in the delivery of 10 gravely wounded Americans to life-saving medical care. The Secretary of the Air Force posthumously awarded him the Air Force Cross for his extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force.
Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham
On 4 March 2002, during Operation Anaconda, after being fired upon by al Qaeda and losing a Navy SEAL, This Aimen’s MH- 47E helicopter landed just under five miles away. Once on the ground, he provided directions to another helicopter to pick them up, successfully rescuing their mission team member from the enemy stronghold. he killed two enemy soldiers, and without regard for his own life, kept advancing toward a dug-in machine gun nest when the team came under fire from three directions. He exchanged fire from minimal personal cover and succumbed to multiple wounds. His engagement and destruction of the first enemy position and advancement to the second enabled his team to take cover, break enemy contact, and save the lives of the entire rescue team. On 10 January 2003, the Secretary of the Air Force posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross to him. On 22 August 2018, his widow accepted the posthumous upgrade to the Medal of Honor from President Donald J. Trump. He is the first Air Force member to receive this award since the Vietnam Conflict.
Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman
A pararescueman, deployed to Afghanistan on 11 March 2004 as part of an advanced force operations team serving alongside elements of the Afghan national strike unit. The mission was to capture a high- value target (a drug king-pin who was funding terrorism) and prevent
the proliferation of chemical weapons. While conducting operations, he was on the first of four helicopters that took sustained small-arms fire and was seriously damaged as they landed. With rounds impacting all around him and unsure of the size of the enemy force, he pressed forward, overrunning enemy positions. His actions suppressed enemy fire against the other three helicopters and drove the enemy away. The raid resulted in two enemy kills, 10 enemy apprehensions, and the destruction of rocket-propelled grenades and small caliber weapons. As a result of his actions, he received the Bronze Star with Valor and became one of the first six recipients of the Combat Action Medal.
Senior Master Sergeant Ramon Colon-Lopez
Was guarding a convoy enroute from Camp Bucca, Iraq as a member of the off-base convoy support team. The convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device near Safwan, Iraq. On 28 September 2005, she was the first security forces Airman and first female Airman to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. She served in the Air Force two years. An Award for Expeditionary Excellence was established in her honor. The award is given to Airmen for outstanding performance during a deployment.
Airman First Class
Elizabeth Jacobson
Was completing a routine pre-brief for a combat control mission at his deployed location in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. While his team loaded gear into their vehicles, an Afghan police officer suddenly turned and opened fire with a truck-mounted machine gun 25 feet away. Simultaneously, 15 to 20 insurgents just outside the village engaged the base with heavy machine gunfire. With rounds striking and killing his teammates, he closed in on the gunman with a pistol and an M-4 Rifle, neutralizing the immediate threat with deadly accuracy. Still under heavy attack from outside insurgents, he exposed himself to heavy machine gunfire three more times to drag his wounded teammates out of the line of fire to a protected casualty collection point. He directed close air support and surveillance aircraft to pinpoint, engage, and eliminate additional insurgents, and directed the entrance and exit of six medical evacuation helicopters. His calmness and leadership in the face of danger helped save 23 lives. For these actions, he was awarded the Silver Star. He also received one of the Air Force’s most prestigious awards, the 2013 Lance P. Sijan U.S. Air Force Leadership Award. Lastly, he was selected as one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2014.
Technical Sergeant Delorean Sheridan
Primary goals of this operation were to create a stable Iraq, empower a broad-based government that renounces weapons of mass destruction, and rebuke terrorism to neighboring countries
Operation Iraqi Freedom
More than 300,000 troops were deployed to the Gulf region to form a multinational coalition, this operation began on 20 March 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Date American commanders declared that Saddam’s regime was no longer in control of Baghdad
9 April 2003
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Saddam Hussein was found and captured in what year? then executed three years later.
2003
Capture Date
Operations transitioned from Operation Iraqi Freedom to this operation, signifying a formal end to United States involvement in the military combat operations.
Operation New Dawn
During Operation New Dawn our military had three primary missions
- Advising
- Assisting
- Training the Iraqi security forces
Led a reconnaissance task force into Iraq on the first day of the ground war of Operation Iraqi Freedom, breeching enemy fortifications during the border crossing. During the next several days, he covered countless miles
conducting specialized reconnaissance in the Southwestern Iraqi desert in support of classified missions. he was then employed to an area of heavy enemy concentration, tasked to provide critical reconnaissance and intelligence on enemy movement, supporting direct action missions against enemy forces. His phenomenal leadership and bravery on the battlefield throughout his deployment were instrumental in the resounding successes of numerous combat missions by performing a significant role in the success of the war and the complete overthrow of the Iraqi regime. He died on 8 April 2003. He was the first Airman killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He earned seven medals during his Air Force career, including the Bronze Star.
Staff Sergeant Scott Sather
Under this operation, a collection of aircraft were launched to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, centered on protecting Libyan citizens from further harm under Moammar Gadhafi’s regime
Operation Odyssey Dawn
In 2014, a new and ominous threat emerged that resulted in the involvement of the United States in operations in the skies over Iraq once again. This time, the enemy, calling themselves the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), was an extremist Sunni jihadist organization
Operation Inherent Resolve
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was estimated to have an annual budget of more than ___________ and a fighting force of ____________
$1,000,000,000 and a force of more than 30,000 fighters
