Cookies From Home

To the young ladies from the Cumberland Valley Brownie Troop, for your hard work on behalf of Company D, 126th Aviation...Thank You! The girls chose our unit for the Adopt-A-Soldier program and raised $860 toward the purchase of Girl Scout Cookies. That equates to 240 boxes of cookies...Great job girls!Today, four big boxes arrived in Iraq filled with Thin Mints, Somoas, Tag Alongs, Lemon Coolers, Do Si Do's, Cafe and Trefoils. Girl Scout Cookies remind of us home and are as American as apple pie. As you can see, the unit was very grateful for your efforts.
Hailey, Cara, Brittney, Madeline, Meredith, Morgan, Christina, Aubree, Alyssa, Anna, Paige, Taylor, Alyssa, Olivia, Laurel, Emily, Bailey Emilee, Hannah, Sydney, & Riley, along with troop leader Mrs. Shannon.....Thank You for your prayers and for supporting the troops!

Clear The Berm

Shortly after takeoff, the flight engineer announces “You're Clear The Berm”. At that point, the aircraft survivability equipment is armed and the implication is we have left the secure airfield boundary and are now operating in unfriendly territory. The situation becomes fluid…the radios are busy, all eyes are outside the aircraft and the crew is on the look out for shooters, wires, flocks of birds and anything that looks out of the ordinary. The communication among the crew is direct and concise; “Wires 10 o’clock”, “Vehicle stopped on the road at 2 o’clock”, “People in the open at your 12 o’clock”. The pilot flying acknowledges each statement and often follows it up with evasive action. While flying low-level, the flight engineers are perched at the shoulder of each pilot…standing the entire day.

In Iraq, the weather reporting is unrefined; the instrument flight structure used in poor weather conditions is lacking; and radio communication issues abound. The airspace is crowded with jets, helicopters, UAV’s and other airplanes. Confusion can quickly become the norm and being vectored for a mid-air is no longer a remote possibility. As a survival mechanism, the aircrews begin to view air traffic control (ATC) requests with a certain skepticism. The first time a crew takes fire while complying with an ATC request…like a 360 degree turn for aircraft spacing or a request to hold over an area pending arrival instructions…their perspective on ATC is forever changed. In those moments, your head begins to feel very large in the windscreen and your complexion seems to take on the color of a bull’s-eye.

When crossing the berm, our crews have put their faith into route selection, tactics, experience and in each other. The objective is to stay unpredictable in our methods…but always prepared for the unexpected. By combining discipline with a little luck, our ultimate goal is to complete the mission and have everyone make it back over the berm.

Time Marches On

The days blend together and time is now referenced by when your name next appears on the flight schedule. A "weather day"--a flight canceled for weather--is viewed as a set back since flying is the focal point of our existence. The day of the week has become irrelevent, except to remember that unit meetings are conducted on Mondays and Fridays at 1700 hours. We are two months "in country"...with many months remaining...so time is referenced by significant events, "when are you scheduled for leave?" or by seasons "bet you'll miss this rain when it's 120 degrees in a couple months".

Most of us have noticed the duration of our tour is now being felt on the homefront--with the holiday bustle over and winter in full swing stateside--the answer to the question "how's your family holding up" has become more involved. Compared to our families, we are the lucky ones...we have a mission to keep us busy and unit camaradarie to pass the time. Flying is how we make our living, but our familiy and friends sustain us.