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12 April 2003 |
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INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (USAFENS) -- The last Operation Northern Watch mission flew March 17, but the end of the operation was not obvious until the last fighter aircraft roared out of here April 12. The last
fighter planes, two of eight F-16CJ Fighting Falcons from the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., left for home and did their last traditional "wave" goodbye by
tilting their aircraft from left to right shortly after takeoff.
As part of
the regular air and space expeditionary force rotation, the 55th had been part of more than 1,400 British, Turkish and American troops and approximately 50 aircraft enforcing the no-fly zone
in northern Iraq started in 1991.
Lt. Col. Jack
Forsythe, 55th commander and F-16CJ pilot, flew his fighter home with the buck of his squadron’s planes April 7.
"I'm
honored to be one of the last to leave Incirlik," said Lt. Col. Jack Forsythe, 55th commander. “I'm disappointed we weren't able to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but I'm
ready to move on to something else."
Lt. Col. John
Montgomery, 55th EFS operations officer and pilot, said he has mixed feelings knowing his squadron was not coming back to Incirlik.
“I’m
happy that we don’t have to leave our families on another long deployment here, but Turkey has a lot to offer,” he said.
Since ONW
began in 1997, more than 40,000 troops had rotated through here to support the mission and more than 36,000 sorties were flown. Its predecessor, Operation Provide Comfort, began shortly
after the Gulf War in 1991 and ended in 1996. More than 42,000 sorties were flown during that time.
Iraqi
surface-to-air missiles and other anti-aircraft systems targeted ONW aircrews on nearly every flight. ONW aircraft patrolling the no-fly-zone responded to Iraqi attacks and when Iraqis
threatened their ability to do the mission.
During the
operation, the coalition forces at Incirlik experienced a 700 percent turnover rate each year. Deployed active-duty, Guard and Reserve airmen rotated through here an average of every 90 days
as part of the air and space expeditionary force structure.
The Shaw
F-16s have rotated in and out of Incirlik every other year for the past six years. If not supporting ONW on alternate years, the squadron deployed to support Operation Southern Watch.
"We had
an outstanding team here -- great pilots and a phenomenal maintenance team," Forsythe said. "I worked with people I'll never forget. Coming back after flying a sortie and seeing an
excited ground crew is what I'll miss most and always remember."
F-16CJ pilot
Capt. Russ Shinn flew the very last ONW plane out of Incirlik.
“It’s a
pretty incredible experience to be the very last to leave Incirlik and close up ONW,” the captain said. “It’s a historical event and it’s an honor to be part of it.”
About half of
the people who were deployed to Incirlik to support ONW have returned home, while the other half will return home soon or are awaiting further instructions.
Over the last
decade, a generation of aircrew, maintainers and support teams sharpened their wartime combat skills while supporting ONW and performing the daily routine of deploying, flying, fighting and
controlling the Iraqi skies. Even though the operation is over, the lessons learned during the 12-year enforcement of the no-fly zone will continue to pay dividends in the future.
"Overall, it was a great experience, and we all grew from it," Forsythe said. "We got a lot of experience that will serve our country for several years to come. It's going to be an exciting Air Force for the next 10 years."
-- USAFENS --
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