Since that time, we have "sprinted" to reestablish Air Force operations at this base. Similar to my previous deployment, back in November 2004, I have learned that leadership duties at a deployed location can best be described as "sprints."Īfter the Air Force departed this base over five years ago, the 64th AEG reactivated to assume Force Protection and Integrated Base Defense responsibilities from the U.S. During our Right Start briefings, I show a picture of the devastated Khobar Towers to remind each of our newcomers that complacency kills and our mission is to prevent the same travesty from happening.įour months have flown by since I arrived here. The current threat at this Southwest Asia location is very volatile, and can change at a moment's notice. In addition, our local Office of Special Investigation (OSI) detachment and intelligence staffs are also notified and involved. Whenever SIRs occur, we immediately notify our host nation Ministry of Defense and Aviation (MoDA) forces to travel off the installation and investigate the situation. We also execute SIRs whenever individuals demonstrate hiding, evasive or other strange behavior when spotted by our Defenders. In addition to the ever-present VBIED threat, my base executes many Suspicious Incident Reports (SIRs) involving cases such as vehicles parking near our perimeter fence appearing to be surveying our installation. Having personally responded to all situations, among the toughest decisions I've made is to send my young EOD Airmen to the VBIED scene, with full equipment and gear on, to dismantle tool boxes, packages or items with the questionable device.īefore sending them down to the affected areas, I've always looked them square in the eyes and sternly said, "Be careful down there, do what you need to do, and come back in one piece." Thankfully, my EOD troops have been able to mitigate the threat without getting maimed, injured or blown up. Needless to say, my MWD teams and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel have been very busy. It occurs when a Military Working Dog (MWD) team inspects and alerts on any of the 3,000 vehicles, 7,700 pedestrians and 4,000 Third Country Nationals (TCNs) who enter through our gates on a weekly basis. It's life here in the United States Central Task Force AOR.Ī "code-XX" indicates a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) threat has been detected at one of our gates. This is an example of many radio calls I have received during my time here as the 64th Air Expeditionary Group commander. I say again, we have a Code-XX at Gate 1 at this time, over. "Eagle, be advised we have a Code-XX at Gate 1, over. NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas - "Eagle, Eagle, this is Guardian, over. 301st Mission Support Group Commander (Deployed).The two words were not meant to be used together, but the phrase "over and out" has a certain ring to it, and that explains its appeal to Hollywood screenwriters. "Out" means the message is complete and no reply is expected. ![]() "Over" is used at the end of a statement to mean that the message is complete and a reply is expected. ![]() The phrase, "over and out," also often heard in old movies, is somewhat misleading. Instead of standing for a letter of the alphabet, it is short for the phrase "will comply." "Wilco" isn't used much anymore, but you can still hear it in old movies, usually those set in World War II. "Wilco" is another kind of special word for radio communications. The word for "R" was at one time "Roger," a word that has continued to be used by pilots to mean that a message has been received and understood. The list of code words has changed over the years. When pilots and air traffic controllers speak to each other over a two-way radio, clear understanding is vital, but the limitations of radio mean messages are easily garbled or misunderstood, explain editor's at Merriam-Webster Inc.īecause of this, a standardized method of communicating by radio was developed in which a list of easily pronounced and unmistakable words have clearly defined uses, as in taking the place of the letters of the alphabet.The complete alphabet of communications code words currently in use is "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu."
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