September 14, 2003,
Protoroz Airport
131 FS
Rolling onto the active, I push the throttles full forward dumping fuel into the engines. Slowly I start to roll down the runway, I keep the pedals centered as I gradually pick up speed and pass through 100 knots. I am running out of runway as I cross 150 knots but still not fast enough to get airborne. I pull back on the stick just as I run out of runway. I lift off the end of the runway barely achieving flying speed; my plane is heavy with bombs and mavericks. Retracting the gear, I clean up a bit and gain some measure of maneuverability. Turning left I see my wing man leaving the runway. “Mongo 12, assume echelon left and close up” I call. Two clicks on the mic are all the affirmation I need. I pull back on the throttle a bit to let 12 catch up. We close up and head south into enemy territory. The Serbian air force has been a non-player since the early days of the conflict. We have no escorts but the sky is filled with our F18s, F15s, and F16s. I climb to angels 17 with Mongo 12 on my wing.
Level at 17000, I switch my number two radio to guard to monitor the war. We have about 30 minutes of flying before we are at the IP. We fly in silence, but I have my Ipaq wired in so I listen to mp3s under the traffic on guard. I listen as a flight of enemy hind helicopters is under attack by a pair of Hornets. I look over the right side of my canopy and watch as the fight takes place below. I can see a rotor fluttering through the air, strange as it was not attached to a helicopter. The other three choppers fair no better, sidewinders from the Hornets make short work of them. As we approach the IP we drop down to 12000 feet and start searching. I give Mongo 12 the weapons free command as we pass through the IP. I turn on my Maverick and use the seeker head in the end of the missile slew through the target area looking for something to shoot. We are still almost 15 miles away from the site were the 62nd was reported to be operating but through my missile seeker, I can see dust trails kicking up from a road in the distance. As we close in it is a line of vehicles moving from east to west. I lock onto the lead vehicle and give Mongo 12 the order to attack my target. After the giving the command I lock up the middle of the column and pickle off a missile. My screen goes blank as the missile leaves my plane. The press of a key gives me a view from one of my remaining missiles. I regain a picture of the target just in time to see Mongo 12s missiles striking into the enemy column. Continuing to close in on the target area, I pickle off another maverick and break hard to make sure I don’t come within the range of the enemy ground fire. Vortices swirl off my wing tips as I pull away from the target. I fly away a few miles and turn back to see bombs impacting in the column. Mongo 12, is in on the attack and flying through a murderous barrage of ground fire. I quickly lock up a vehicle and fire off a missile, and then repeat the process. I bank away as two missile trails streak towards the enemy. I call for Mongo to join up and we fly safely away from the enemy column. I give Mongo12 a visual once over and he seems to be in good shape. We turn back towards the target and I bring up my bombs and switch to CCIP. I tell Mongo12 to hang back as I swoop down on the column. As I get closer I can see the carnage that our attack has caused so fare. The hulks of tanks and APCs burn furiously and ammunition in those vehicles continues to explode minutes after our attack. I punch off my bombs one after the other as I fly the length of the column and swoop back into the clouds. Looking over my shoulder I can see my bombs impacting in the target area. More carnage, as vehicles are flung into the air by the impact of my bombs.
The column is a mess and the mission is sure to be a success but I want to get some with the gun. The ground fire was minimal on my last run and it should be lessened still as there is not much left of column. I give Mongo 12 the order to attack and I come in for a gun run. I pick out a truck that is trying to get away and I try to walk my rounds into the truck. I watch as dirt and debris pop up all around the truck but some how I miss the truck. “Damn” I think as I pull up. I do a wing over and come back down determined to kill this truck. I fixate and pull the trigger. Again my rounds pop off all around the truck but I don’t hit it. I continue to fire, pulling up, just before impacting the ground, I think some of the debris caught the underside of my wing. “OK enough of this sh@#” I think as I pull off target for the last time. “Ok you win today, you will live” I think as I pull away and leave the truck. I call Mongo 12 to rejoin. We head over to steer-point 4, flying level at 7000 feet, I plug my Ipaq back in and jam on my way to the forth steer-point.
We pass the forth steer-point and no one is home. We turn north for home staying at 7000 feet. Someone once told me that complacency kills, well we were just riding high minding our business heading for home when all hell broke loose, tracers criss-crossed across the sky as we must flown over an enemy infantry column. I never saw them until I was in a blithering barrage of small arms fire. I could hear the round plinking off my fuselage. I pull up instinctively to try to get clear; my HUD out, my MFD out, hydraulics damaged. I call for Mongo 12 to go home as I punch off what is left of my ordinance. I level off at 18000 and head north, I have to use my map and compass as they are the only navigational aids I have working.
I continue north until I can see Portoroz on the horizon. I fly past the airfields and turn left over the city to come into the airfield from the north. I call for an emergency approach and get clearance straight in. Staying on the glide path I start to think about what I am going to do if my gear does not come down. I contemplate punching out but decide I will ride it in. As I close on the runway, I pull the lever to retract my gear. “Wow, I must be psychic” The gear does not extend. I cycle the gear lever a couple of time but no luck. “Portoroz control, Mongo 11, gear damage, I will go for the soft spot to the left of the runway” “Roger” Mongo, emergency equipment is rolling”. With that I adjust to pick up the grass strip parallel to the active runway. Speed at 150 knots, I push out my brakes, full flaps. Slowing I make contact with the ground just above one hundred knots. The plane holds together as it slows, I can hear the crunch as the underbelly of my plane skids across the ground. I am feeling pretty good as the plane seems to be holding together, then the big red light up front that reads “FIRE” comes on…not good. I push the extinguishers as the plane comes to a halt. The fires safely out, I pop the canopy as the cockpit fills with smoke. Un-strapping I roll out of the cockpit falling several feet to the ground. I run away from my smoldering plane as the fire equipment arrives.
The mission report indicated that the 62nd took significant damage but that our flight was responsible for only light casualties inflicted to the battalion. After the debriefing, word came down that I had been promoted to Captain.
Puma - out