Expeditionary Security Forces squadrons throughout the theater of operations formed teams of two to four person volunteers for Fly Away Security Teams (FAST) to provide protection for the aircraft and crew. Transport of supplies and personnel in theater was provided by the C-130 Hercules. The major aerial port for Iraq was Balad Air Base, 40 miles north of Baghdad. From Balad, supplies were distributed to the field by air or military and civilian truck convoys under protection of the Army or Marines. One of these new tasks was convoy escort duty. Many of these changes were brought about by new, non-traditional missions taken on by the Air Force to assist the Army and Marines. Defenders from the 822 SFS, as part of the 407 ESFS, soon joined them as part of a convoy from Kuwait.Īssisting its sister services would require some of the most fundamental changes in the Air Force in general and the Security Forces in particular since the creation of the Air Force in 1947. The same day, a 13-person team from the Arizona Air National Guard‘s 161 SFS, assigned to the 305th Tanker Airlift Control Element from McGuire AFB, NJ, moved onto the captured Iraqi Tallil AB near the city of Al Nasiriyah, claiming the honor of being the first SF team in Iraq and for Staff Sergeant Dena Brackin the title of first female Security Forces member in the war zone. By April 9th the approximately 200 Airmen stationed at Bashur were handling around 1 million pounds of cargo a day.
As the 86 CRG prepared the 7,000-foot runway to receive the first transport aircraft, the group's Security Forces controlled the runway and ramp, while 173rd Airborne soldiers and Iraqi Kurd Peshmurga fighters protected the airfield's perimeter. The mission, according to 86 CRG Commander Colonel Steven Weart (who jumped into Bashur with his troops) was to support the 173 Airborne Brigade and its buildup of combat power. This was also the first combat jump made from the C-17 Globemaster transport and was the largest airborne assault since Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989. In addition there was 1 medic, 1 intel, 1 Fuels, and 1 CE also in the SFS, as they are a multi-AFSC 16 squadron) under command of Major Erik Rundquist, made the first Air Force combat parachute assault along with about 1,000 paratroopers of the Army‘s 173 Airborne Brigade onto Bashur Airfield in mountainous northern Iraq. As many Security Forces members supported the effort by securing air fields around the world, others prepared to enter Iraq itself.Īt 2015Z March 26, 2003, Air Force history was made when members of the 86 CRG, including 18 jumpers from the 786 SFS (14 of which were SF. Follow the timeline of events from 2003 up to 2011 with this quick facts sheet.įor more information stop by and visit or contact the Government Information, Maps, and Microform Services on the 2nd floor of the Wells Library.On March 19, 2003, the United States opened another front on the war on terrorism when it began an aerial bombardment of Iraq to kick off Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. While the reception of this military action in Iraq and around the world was mixed at the time, it can now be seen fifteen years later that the ramifications have been beyond what initially could have been imagined, particularly in regards to the Syrian civil war. Coalition forces were able to topple the rule of Saddam Hussein in a matter of three weeks.
#OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM FREE#
President Bush began this campaign to free the people of Iraq and "defend the world from grave danger". The central driving force for the invasion of Iraq hung on the idea that Saddam Hussein was holding and building weapons of mass distruction in Iraq. Bush announced to the people of the United States that a military mission of coalition forces was on the ground in Iraq.
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