(Sumter) - Feb 12, 2003 - More than 250 Airmen from
Shaw are headed to the Persian Gulf. The Air Force
isn't releasing the precise destination yet.
Tuesday night 250 support personnel began
the 14 to 17 hour trip on a commercial
airline. The Airmen will wear civilian clothes for
comfort due to the long flight. Nearly two dozen attack
jets from the 77th Fighter Squadron will join them. It
is WIS News 10 policy not to report information of
specific troop movements or other sensitive
information.
The process of packing up began Tuesday afternoon
with an important stop at Shaw's Mobility Processing
Center. The men and women of the 77th Fighter Squadron
were picking up, among other things, some of the
gear they'll need if they encounter chemical weapons.
Shaw commander, Col. William Rew, says the
possibility of biological or chemical weapons is a
concern, but, "They do cross my mind. We train for that
all the time. That will be a difficult challenge for our
troops, but we're trained and we're ready and we'll do
whatever we should do." Col. Rew prepares the same as
any Airman, "I've got the same bags packed myself."
Among those checking in, Eddie Escovia of San
Antonio, Texas, "It's been pretty good. We'll go there,
do what we need to do and get back." Escovia says he's
not nervous, "Because we're the best."
Jennifer Piatt says she won't forget what she leaves
behind, "I'm anxious to get over there and do what I've
been trained to do. And just fight for our country."
It was also time to take care of last-minute medical,
family and legal issues with stark reminders of the
serious work ahead. Captain Craig Chandler is a chaplain
and he was handing out Bibles, with appropriate military
camouflage, or what Shaw calls the manual for life,
"Many would keep a spirit of faith and keep the faith of
our troops. Let them know God is with them throughout
whatever they have to go through."
Sgt. Antonio Armstrong is a paralegal and was drawing
up wills, "We're making sure that they have a will so
their property can be distributed instead of it going
back to the government or whoever."
Col. Rew addressed the Airmen with a pep
talk before they departed for Southwest Asia,
"We'll kick some butt. We'll do what the President asks
us to do. We'll do it better than any air force on
Earth."
About 12 to 15 of the F-16's of the 77th Fighter
Squadron, the Gamblers, will be heading out over the
next couple of days with their pilots.
Shaw AFB quick facts:
- Shaw was officially activated in august of 1941.
- Shaw is named after 1st Lt. Ervin David Shaw. The
Sumter resident was killed in action in World War I as
he flew behind enemy lines.
- The F-16 jets that fly out of Shaw can reach
speeds faster than 1500 miles per hour.
- An F-16 costs more than $20 million.
- F-16's were first deployed in January of 1979.
- The jets are built by Lockheed Martin.
- They carry a 20 mm cannon and up to six air-to-air
or air-to surface missiles. The F-16's 20mm cannon is
capable of firing 100 projectiles per second.
- An F-16 can carry up to 15,000 pounds of
munitions.
- During the Persian Gulf War in the early 90's,
more than 2,500 people deployed from Shaw to the
Middle East.
- Shaw employs more than 6500 people, 5460 military
and 1100 civilian.
The squadron has been preparing for potential
deployment since mid-January, conducting day and night
flight training missions to polish skills and check
equipment. The squadron has deployed routinely to the
Gulf in recent years, flying missions over northern or
southern Iraq to enforce the United Nations' "no-fly
zones."
updated 8:12am by Chris
Rees
