My Flight with the Flippers TF CORSAIR

This week has been a mixed week....emotionally.... as stated in my last blog entry... we have began an offensive in the Musa Qala area of Afghanistan, which is in none other than the Southern Region of Afghanistan.... to rid that area of the Taliban. The Taliban has had a hold on Musa Qala for several months since the British departed that area. What we find is that when Coalition forces depart a location, the local Afghan forces are not able to withstand the Taliban, thus making it very difficult for us to even consider a draw-down in forces. To the contrary, we are in need of more forces to fully secure this country. I am so proud of my service to my country, I have made some great friendships during this deployment, that I would not have been able to foster in any other environment. One of these friendships is with a pilot from South Carolina, but stationed at Fort Bragg. CW2 Theo Miller, a Chinook Helicopter pilot, that grew up in Georgetown, SC.... These pilots are fearless, they fly into danger all the time in support of our ground forces... They get shot at all the time, but they go day in and day out..... These guys are heroes.... Below is Mr. Miller conducting the pre-flight brief.

I have had the pleasure to work with several heroes from both the active duty and reserve forces. You all should be so proud of these men and women.... This particular flight began for me at about 0800 with a weather and intelligence briefing. The brief was very detailed, as it should be..... Below Mr Miller talks with other members of his crew before the flight.

There is no mission that is without a degree of danger. Soldiers accept this risk and perform superbly. We do not cut corners, but we do everything we can to get the job done. This particular day, we had to conduct a re-supply of the 508th. Below, Chief Miller conduct his pre-flight checks. It was truly amazing to sit in the Jump Seat and see everything they go through to fly these helicopters.

This was our back-up. The Chinooks are cargo carriers and not attack helicopters, but they do have some weapons, but mostly for defensive purposes.... But this bad-boy can make a bad day out of any enemy.... We had two Chinooks and two AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters in support. So, if the Taliban decided to shoot at us, he would definitely regret it.....

The below picture is of a similar helicopter that i was in, flying beside us... You can bet the troops were so glad to see us flying in.... The mission was a huge success.....

Needless to say, this was a great opportunity for me. It gave me a rare opportunity to see things from their position. Below is a picture of me promoting 2LT Donald K. Colemon of the 550th Signal Company. I was so honored that he wanted me to pin him. You never know how you touch people, but he did not want anyone else other than me to promote him..... What an honor!!! He is active duty and I from the National Guard.... what an honor.... God has truly used me here, in so many ways that I can't begin to tell you..... LT Colemon is the OIC of the DSST, Signal Support Team. He and I frequently met and talked about Signal support for this theatre. He and his team has provided me with excellent support. He is a great young leader and one that I have the utmost respect for.....

This week was also tough on several families that lost soldiers to this war. There have been several US and Coalition losses in the fight to re-take Musa Qala. One particular loss not associated with the Musa Qala battle was the loss of SSG Gregory L. Elam, SSG Elam's mother lives in Greenwood, SC. Elam died of non-combat related injury. He had just had his 39th birthday a few days ago, and he leaves behind a wife and his mother Lillie, and two daughters. I met SSG Elam through LTC Dickens his boss, Elam was just a quite and humble man, we talked about Mortuary Affairs and he was going to show me around his facility. That day never came.... What I hate the most is that his death comes right at Christmas for his family. What kind of Christmas are they having.... My heart truly goes out to them...

Christmas is one week away, and several locations are doing well in their attempts to make this holiday special. FOB Lindsey has done a great job decorating for the holiday.... Truthfully, it is hard to get excited about the holiday, when you are away from home and in a war zone. The enemy don't care that this is a special day for US soldiers.... war goes on!!!!!!!!

It is my prayer this Christmas Holiday that WE do not forget the wounded and the fallen, nor their families. Soldiers like the Romano's, families like the Elam's, and other families that lost soldiers to this war. Enjoy the blessings that God has bestowed upon you, but remember those of us that are not able to be at home with our family.... I love you all...... LTC Bowser