12th EINS senior airmen save day

By MSgt. Tom Houdek
12th EINS/DOM
Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia

A historical event took place on board an RC-135 RIVET JOINT aircraft recently while flying in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. On that day, the safety of coalition aircraft patrolling the No-Fly Zone over southern Iraq rested on the shoulders of six senior airmen.

The six airmen, dubbed the “Rugrats,” were Senior Airmen Grant Hegner and Curt Oswalt from the 97th Intelligence Squadron, Offutt AFB, Neb., and Senior Airmen Mike Beard, Lionel Ducluzeau, Juana Hernandez, and Stormy Hovanec from the 488th IS, RAF Mildenhall, England.

They were part of a 12th Expeditionary Intelligence Squadron aircrew responsible for providing real-time threat warning and targeting information to coalition forces patrolling the No-Fly Zone.

On this particular day it was the special talents of these six airmen who made the mission a success.

This was the first time the RIVET JOINT flew an operational mission with senior airmen in all the critical lead operator and backup operator positions. The Air Intelligence Agency crew, led by the Airborne Mission Supervisor, Airborne Analyst, and Data Link Operator, would not have been able to provide threat warning to the coalition air assets patrolling the No-Fly Zone over southern Iraq without the efforts of the six airmen. Their efforts directly contributed to the success of the mission and ensured the safety of over sixty coalition aircraft, including USAF’s E-3B, F-15C’s, F-16CJ’s, F-16CG’s, EA-6B’s, A-10’s, and Royal Air Force F-3’s and GR-1’s.

These airmen directly contributed to the production of six national-level intelligence reports and more than 50 tactical and situational reports to a variety of coalition air assets.

The significance of this event goes beyond the mission of that day. This event exemplifies the current state of affairs of AIA enlisted aircrew members flying on RC-135s around the world.

Due to recent drawdowns and high operations tempo, the mid-level tier of NCO’s (staff and technical sergeants) has been greatly depleted and senior airmen are being called on more and more to take on the duties and responsibilities of junior NCO’s.

Many AFSCs in the Air Force are experiencing the same fate. These six airmen are a reflection of their peers; they are young, talented and possess a “can do” attitude.

Their professionalism and expertise while conducting the 12-hour mission speaks volumes. They are a reflection of the many young airmen throughout Air Iintelligence Agency and the United States Air Force who take their duties and responsibilities seriously, conduct themselves professionally, and take pride in their work.

More than ever before, these outstanding individuals are not just the future of the Air Force, they are its present as well.