13th Fighter Squadron ‘Panthers’ recount their experiences from the battlefield

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Lt. Col. Steve Williams, 13th Fighter Squadron commander, far left, stands in front of an F-16 Fighter jet this summer at Balad Air Base, Iraq, with some of his pilots, including Capt. Larry Sullivan, third from left; Capt. Chris Struve, third from right; Maj. Mike Briggs, second from right; and Capt. Kevin Hicok, far right. The pilots from Misawa Air Base, Japan, were preparing for a combat mission on Aug. 12.


13th Fighter Squadron ‘Panthers’ recount their experiences from the battlefield
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, December 11, 2007

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — The burden of war for the 13th Fighter Squadron pilots wasn’t just the 500-pound munitions they carried on combat missions.

A weighty load set squarely on their shoulders: a sense of responsibility to get it right.

In the busy skies above Iraq, there was no room for error.

Lives hung in the balance, whether it was the soldiers fighting on the ground depending on them to scare off or flatten the enemy, or innocent civilians that could be on the receiving end of a misfired munition.

“Any time you drop a bomb, it’s just such an awesome explosive power,” said Capt. Alex Wolfard, 27, an F-16 fighter pilot from Mesa, Ariz. “It’s a lot of responsibility to deal with. No question in my mind, when I hit that pickle button, you have to be certain, because it’s no taking it back.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50876