335th FS, 4th MXG assume Afghanistan close-air support mission

  • Published
  • By 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  More than 400 Airmen said goodbye to their families, friends and co-workers before departing Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.
between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 to help sustain overseas contingency operations at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

The deploying Airmen from the 335th Fighter Squadron and 4th Maintenance Group will spend the next four months providing close-air support and maintaining aircraft for Operation Enduring Freedom, which began October 2001 in response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Chief pilots and weapon system operators will assume the job of monitoring the skies and protecting coalition servicemembers on the ground from the 336th Fighter Squadron. The 336th FS pilots and WSOs flew more than 8,000 combat hours while in Afghanistan.

The majority of U.S. sorties in Afghanistan are flown from Bagram AB. Coalition ground forces are spread across the country, which is about the size of Texas, and when immediate close-air support is needed Strike Eagles are usually first to arrive.

The Strike Eagles bring unique capabilities to a battle including the ability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out making it a particularly lethal weapon.