Viper Pilot_ A Memoi..

9
The Valley of the Shadow
March 26, 2003
THE WINGMAN CAME OFF THE TANKER’S BOOM AND SLID BACKWARD away from the big
KC-10. I zippered the mike and pulled up and away, toward the north. I saw the
flash of WICKED 24’s wings as he turned with me out of the Twitch air-refueling
track. Eyes out now, we transited the other tanker tracks, looking for pods of big
jets surrounded by little jets. I lit the burner momentarily and climbed up above
25,000 as we headed north across the Iraqi border.
The tankers usually refueled at 25,000 or below, and the surveillance jets, like
AWACS and JSTARS, were normally above 30,000 feet. So 27,000 to 28,000 feet
was generally a safe haven as we crossed into Iraq. It always amazed me how, with
such a big sky, jets gravitated toward each other. Of course, up here, really only F-
16s and F-15s roamed about. The Navy F-18s were much farther to the east, and
the A-10s couldn’t get this high. Even so, we kept our eyes out until well north of
the border.
Twenty miles farther we FENCEd in. FENCE was originally a mnemonic of
things to complete prior to combat: F (flares) E (electronic countermeasures) N
(navigation aids—off) C (camera—on) E (emergency beacon—off).
We’d added to it over the years. Seat straps got tightened, exterior lights came
off, weapons systems were set up, etc. I also ran my seat up a bit higher to better
see any SAMs farther over the canopy rail, and turned the threat-warning volumes
up as high as I could stand. I usually also removed my gloves so I could manipulate
switches better, and almost always flew with my helmet visor up. Each pilot had his
own system and it didn’t matter as long as everything was done prior to getting too
deep into Indian Country.
“You’ve gotta be shitting me . . .” I muttered and looked at the mess below me.
My flight of two CeeJays was roaming around Killbox 88 Alpha Sierra just south of
Baghdad. This is what was left after the Mother of All Sandstorms had passed
through. The winds may have died down, but the visibility was still terrible and Iraq
was completely covered by a nasty mixture of fuzzy brown dust and low gray
clouds.