2016 Winter Friends Journal Sampler

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The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Post Office Box 1903 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-1903

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FOUNDATION, INC.

Winter 2015-2016 The Magazine of the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. • www.airforcemuseum.com

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

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FOURTH BUILDING GRAND OPENING JUNE 2016

Featured Articles Vipers in the Storm - 25 Years Later

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“Just tell me I can’t do it”— Air Refueling in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm “The connective thread is the people” A special messsage from Major General Paul Johnson In the Footsteps of My Father, Doolittle Raider David Thatcher

The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. is a Section 501(c)(3) private, non-profit organization. It is not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components, and it has no government status.

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Vol. 38 No.4

THE AIR FORCE MUSEUM FOUNDATION, INC. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ms. Frances A. Duntz - Chairman Mr. Philip L. Soucy - President Col (Ret) James B. Schepley - Vice President Col (Ret) Susan E. Richardson - Secretary Mr. Robert J. Suttman II, CFA - Treasurer Dr. Deborah E. Barnhart, CAPT (Ret), USN Mr. John G. Brauneis Col (Ret) Mark N. Brown Dr. Thomas J. Burns, PhD Brig Gen (Ret) Paul R. Cooper Dr. Pamela A. Drew Mr. Roger D. Duke Mr. David C. Evans Col (Ret) Frederick D. Gregory Mr. Benjamin T. Guthrie Maj Gen (Ret) E. Ann Harrell CMSgt (Ret) Eric R. Jaren Mr. Gregory G. Lockhart Lt Gen (Ret) C.D. Moore II Lt Gen (Ret) Richard V. Reynolds Gen (Ret) Charles T. Robertson Jr. Maj Gen (Ret) Darryl A. Scott Mr. Scott J. Seymour Mr. Erik D. Smith Mr. Harry W. (Wes) Stowers Jr.

From the Executive Director Over the holidays, I heard a story about a Steven Spielberg interview from the Inside the Actors Studio television show. The show, hosted by Mr. James Lipton, offers insights into the life and thoughts of famous people from the entertainment industry.

Mr. Lipton always ends the show by asking, “If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?” When asked this question, Mr. Spielberg answered, “Thanks for listening.” The beauty of his answer, from my perspective, was in its simplicity. In other words, not only thanks for listening (e.g. receiving and understanding) but for how you lived your life as a result.

While pondering this I started to think about our Foundation messaging.

It’s true that we at the Foundation are committed to raising awareness and dollars so that Lt Gen Hudson, USAF Ret and his National Museum of the United States Air Force team may accomplish their incredible mission.

But was, to quote Pink Floyd, “anybody out there”? Did our messaging resonate? We know you heard the message, but were you listening? Was there a deliberate and definitive action as result?

Pulling into the parking lot of the National Museum of the United States Air Force this morning, as I saw the fourth building glistening in the winter sun, I received my answer. You listened!

For many of you, it started when you, or a loved one, answered the call to serve our country. And you have continued to answer the call. As a result, the Foundation was able to provide the $40.6M required to design, construct, and equip the new fourth building, which will open later this year.

As we move into 2016 and beyond, there will be many more opportunities to support the Foundation and its mission. In the meantime, thanks for listening and for believing in the passion and purpose of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Museum Foundation enough to do something about it.

Mike Imhoff

This Soviet-built ZPU-2 14.5mm anti-aircraft gun was captured by Allied forces during Operation Desert Storm. It is composed of two KPV 14.5mm heavy machine guns mounted on a two-wheeled carriage for mobility. Each gun is capable of firing 600 rounds per minute. Note the battle damage bullet holes on the lower part of the gun mount.

Transferred from the 907th Tactical Airlift Group.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE Lt Gen (Ret) J. L. Hudson, Director Krista Strider, Deputy Director/Senior Curator

FOUNDATION

Executive Director - Michael Imhoff Chief Development Officer - Col (Ret) Mona Vollmer Development Assistant - Olivia Dyson Membership Manager - Matt Lynch Membership Coordinator - Michele Giefer Membership Office: 1-877-258-3910 (toll free) or 937-656-9615

Friends Journal

Editor - Peggy Coale Art Director - Mark A. Riley Editorial Assistants - Michael Giefer, Joe King, Robert Pinizzotto, Art Powell Editorial Office: 937-656-9622

Cover: F-16 as flown by Capt Keith “Rosey” Rosenkranz

in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Illustration by Mark Riley

The Friends Journal is published quarterly by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the expansion and improvement of the National Museum of the United States Air Force and to the preservation of the history of the United States Air Force. Authors retain all rights to further publication or use. Author’s views expressed in the Friends Journal do not necessarily represent those of the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. or those of the United States Air Force. Printed in the USA. USPS Standard ”A” rate postage paid at Dayton, OH. Subscription to the Friends Journal is included in the annual membership of the Friends of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. All materials are copyright 2015 and may not be reproduced without permission from the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Submission of material for publication and correspondence concerning contents should be addressed to The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1903, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-1903, and marked in the corner of the envelope “ATTN: Editor.”

Note: These items are currently in storage.

This ZPU-4 is a Soviet-built anti-aircraft gun. It is composed of four KPV 14.5mm heavy machine guns mounted on a four-wheel carriage. The ZPU-4 was used by the Iraqis in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. The effective range for the anti-aircraft gun was approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 meters). Each gun had a muzzle velocity of approximately 3,300 feet/ second (990 meters/second) and a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. The metal link belt contained 100 rounds for each gun.

Contents ARTICLES 5 Vipers in the Storm - 25 Years Later Keith Rosenkranz

10 “Just tell me I can’t do it”— Air Refueling in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm Lt Gen (Ret) Pat Caruana

Forward Operating Location: 13 King Khalid Military City

Danny Clifton

DEPARTMENTS 2 Editor’s Notes 3 Friends Feedback 48 New Exhibits 50 Restoration Update 46 Reunion Notices 52 The Museum Theatre 53 The Museum Store

Air Evac from Riyadh to Germany 18 Col (Ret) Jim Blackman

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An F-111E Aircrew Remembers

Desert Storm

Col (Ret) Terrance “Marco” McCaffrey “The connective thread is the people” 27 A special message from Major General Paul Johnson

31 Summers on the Persian Gulf:

Supporting Operation Southern Watch Lt Col (Ret) James Bieryla

35 Red Noses in Riyadh SSgt (Ret) Sterling Spatz

38 In the Footsteps of My Father, Doolittle Raider David Thatcher

Jeff Thatcher

43 Van and the Valkyrie:

The Life of Test Pilot Van H. Shepard William Shepard, Jr.

Do You Have a Story for the Friends Journal?

We love to hear from our Friends of their firsthand accounts of military service and combat. Our goal is to be able to present a variety of Air Force-related stories from all eras in which the U.S. Air Force or its predecessors played a role. We especially need stories from more recent conflicts, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you or someone you know has a personal experience you think our readers would find interesting, please consider submitting a story to us. Writers with all levels of experience are welcomed!

Contact the editor at 937-656-9622 or pcoale@ afmuseum.com with any questions you may have.

The typical Friends Journal article is 3,000 words maximum, and includes three to five photographs.

Your photos will be returned.

Submit manuscripts and photos to: Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., Friends Journal Editor, 1100 Spaatz Street, P.O. Box 1903, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433. Or email it to pcoale@afmuseum.com.

Friends Journal • Winter 2015-2016

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EDITOR’s

NOTES

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n the almost-seventy-year history of the United States Air Force, the air campaign of Operation Desert Storm is a relatively recent event—25 years ago this month. But a lot has changed in the world since then.

Do you remember what the world was like in 1991?

In the United States the price of gas averaged $1.14 a gallon, and a first-class stamp was 29 cents. “CallerID” was introduced to make it possible to screen your phone calls, and tech-savvy Americans were carrying pagers and watching movies on their VHS players. The movie Dances with Wolves won for best film, and the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, won their first-ever NBA title. It was the year the World Wide Web went live.

In the world, the Warsaw Pact was formally dissolved, as former Soviet Bloc countries gained independence from the USSR, which also officially ceased to exist in 1991. South Africa’s President F. W. de Klerk announced plans to repeal the laws underpinning apartheid, the German parliament voted to move the seat of government from Bonn to Berlin, and Russian reformer Boris Yeltsin was elected leader of the Russian Federation.

And on January 17, 1991, Saddam Hussein crossed U.S. President George H. W. Bush’s “line in the sand” to attack a sovereign Kuwait, precipitating the first major international crisis of the post-Cold War era.

The world responded, and the U.S.-led coalition of forces quickly defeated the Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein.

In this Friends Journal issue, we present firsthand accounts of a wide range of Desert Shield and Desert Storm missions: An F-16 pilot who suddenly loses situational awareness after a successful tank-killing run; An F-111 pilot describing SAMs, Scuds, and sorties over Iraq; a C-141 pilot recounting a medical evacuation mission to Germany; an A-10 pilot helping develop and run a forward operating location at King Khalid Military City; an air campaign planner and commander describing the critical role played by air refuelers; and a communications specialist on duty in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the Christmas season. An F-15 pilot stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia describes everyday life while deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, the follow-on mission to Desert Storm.

The other stories in the issue recount history connected to Museum icons—the XB-70 Valkyrie, the Doolittle Raiders, and the Museum’s A-10 on display in the Cold War Gallery. That was the plane involved in the rescue mission of a downed Navy flier during Operation Desert Storm, a mission which earned its pilot, Captain Paul Johnson, the Air Force Cross. I contacted (now) Major General Johnson for his reflections on 25 years of Air Force service since Operation Desert Storm. His message on page 27 reminds us that no matter how much the world changes, the one consistent, connective thread for mission success is the outstanding men and women of the United States Air Force.

Thank you, Friends, for helping us achieve success in our own mission here at the Foundation with the stories you tell and allow us to share. Happy New Year!

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Friends Feedback Apollo 15 Space Mission In the Fall 2015 Friends Journal Apollo 15 article, the second paragraph should have begun, “Two centuries later,” instead of “A century later” [amount of time since the mid-eighteenth century exploration of Captain James Cook]. Space travel was still in the future in the mid1800s! Nonetheless it was a good, informative article.

Kenneth Holley, Birmingham, Alabama “An Aircraft Mechanic at a Radar Site” I enjoyed Ed Young’s piece very much [Fall 2015]; however, I have no idea what “four minutes of oil dilution” means and can’t find out online. Could somebody explain that? Also, the story of Chet Pardee was amazing. Thanks for publishing it.

Bill Brockman, Atlanta, Georgia Response from author Ed Young: Oil dilution is mixing gasoline with the engine oil. Say that we just returned from a flight, and we know the temp will be around -60 degrees tomorrow, we perform the oil dilution procedure before the engine is shut down.

There is an oil dilution switch on the left hand side of the instrument panel. It controls a spring-loaded valve that allows gasoline to enter the engine oil system. The switch is held on until the required dilution time is met, in my case it was four minutes. However, another criteria is the oil level in the tank. It must be at a level that would allow an increase in the fluid to the tank, otherwise an overflow will result. The flight handbook has a chart and instructions on when and how to perform the oil dilution procedure. It is in more detail than described here.

The Atomic Bomb Andy Rice’s article, which I found to be most interesting, needs one correction.The city of Kyoto was not reduced to rubble as were the other cities he stated. When Kyoto was placed on the list of cities to be considered for an atomic attack, Secretary of War Henry Stimson had it removed because of his belief that it was culturally and historically too important to destroy and that it was necessary for a stable and friendly postwar Japan.

He had General Leslie Groves remove it from further consideration. Perhaps Mr. Rice was confusing Kyoto with Kobe, which suffered massive bombing raids.

Joseph Papalia, Rockville Centre, New York

To Berlin and Back to the Bandstand I just received a copy of the [Fall 2015] Friends Journal with Uncle Chet’s story. What a wonderful gift! Chet Pardee was my Godfather. He was a favorite uncle— full of life and fun. Perhaps kicking bombs out of their moorings gave him the perspective that life was indeed worth living to the fullest. As I read the article, my memories of him came streaming back. Thank you.

Doug Harned, Cary, North Carolina A Man Among the Stars The article about Dr. Harry Carver in the Fall 2015 Friends Journal really brought back memories about “C Plot.” As an aviation cadet at Ellington AFB during the mid-1950s, I learned a lot about Dr. Carver and his C Plot and other navigational abilities. Navigators from SAC were not the only ones using C Plot. As a TAC, MATS, and later MAC navigator, I used C Plot for more than 25 years.

The mention of F-84 celestial navigation also was a reminder of a SAC RF-84F fighter-recce unit at Larson AFB, Washington in the late 1950s. Their pilots were issued A-10A sextants and could fly a pre-computed sun line graph and make course corrections based on which side of the graph they found themselves. Of course takeoff times had to be precise, or the graph had to be computed again.We understood that a navigator was assigned to the squadron to accomplish the computations. The sextant was to be used primarily in long, overwater deployments.

Lt Col Morris Baxter, USAFR (Ret), Hondo,Texas Space Race Anecdotes The Fall 2015 Friends Journal articles about space reminded me of things I experienced when I was assigned to Langley Air Force Base inVirginia as a Hughes Aircraft field engineer from November 1958 to May 1960. Below are some of the things I observed and heard: One day in early 1959, the 48th fighter interceptor squadron (FIS) commander, Lieutenant Colonel McIntosh received a TELEX from NORAD requesting Friends Journal • Winter 2015-2016

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that one F-102 aircraft be given to Project Mercury, as the astronauts would be stationed at NASA Langley for training. Colonel McIntosh replied that the 48th FIS would be unable to provide the requested aircraft at that time because of their present alert commitments and maintenance requirements. Later that day I was talking to my boss, Dick Dodge, when Colonel McIntosh gave him a second NORAD telex he’d received, to read.This second TELEX listed specific 48th FIS aircraft by tail number and personnel by name, stating they would be assigned to Project Mercury. Also stated was that Project Mercury would be given access on an as-needed basis to both of the two two-seater TF-102 aircraft in the 48th FIS inventory.

On another day, I was in the pilots’ ready room talking with one of the 48th pilots when one of the astronauts (I don’t remember which one) stuck his head in the door and asked, “Is there an instructor in here?” The pilot I was talking with said he was. The astronaut then asked if he could help him out.The instructor left and came back in a very short time. I said, “that wasn’t enough time to give a flight lesson,” and the instructor’s response was, “He didn’t need a flight lesson, as he was in a proven aircraft, and being a test pilot, knew how to fly the aircraft by the time he was at the end of the runway.” All this astronaut wanted to know was how the radios worked!

We always knew when one of the astronauts were taking off. They would light the afterburner, get air speed, lift off the runway a few feet, clear the road at the end of the runway, and then climb out of sight. I asked a 48th pilot why the astronaut pilots didn’t have to use the climb corridor over Chesapeake Bay. He replied that they didn’t have time, as they were learning to control the aircraft in weightless conditions. The astronauts would climb to altitude, put a pencil on the instrument panel of the F-102, and then put the aircraft in a stall simulating orbit, causing the pencil to rise above the instrument panel and float in the air. They would then fly around the pencil. This could only be done two or three times in any one flight because of fuel restraints.

I heard that one of the astronauts landed the F-102 with no fuel (dead stick), and one of the Navy/Marine astronauts dragged the tail cone of one of the F-102s they were flying.

Lowell I. (Laddie) Wolfe Jr.,Tallmadge, Ohio ******************************************** Thank you to all who took the time to respond to the online membership survey in August 2015. We are carefully considering your opinions on membership benefits and your suggestions on how we can improve the Friends Journal. If you have additional feedback for us, please feel free to contact the Membership Office at 937-656-9615 or friends@afmuseum.

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com.

Did you know ?

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The Museum is currently seeking volunteers to host visitors in our fourth building as well as our present galleries. The new building is scheduled to open in June 2016.

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The Education Division is looking for volunteers to support their monthly Family Day initiative by conducting aerospace demos and workshops. They are also looking for assistance with other activities, such as Home School Day and Space Day.

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There are many opportunities to serve as a volunteer, including assisting the Air Force Museum Foundation at the Friends Membership Desk, Foundation offices, and the Air Force Museum Theatre.

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Numerous special events can use your support, including large seasonal outdoor events such as the World War I Dawn Patrol Rendezvous and the Giant Scale Radio-Control Model Aircraft Show.

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By joining now, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in fourth building opening activities and hosting visitors in four new galleries.

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Weekend gallery volunteers are presently the Museum’s greatest need; however, weekday volunteers are also being recruited for morning or afternoon shifts.

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The Museum depends on the current 550+ volunteers who travel from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and, of course, Ohio for its daily operation.

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Last year, Museum volunteers met and shared experiences with more than one million visitors.

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Volunteers contributed more than 105,000 hours, equivalent to 52-person-years of productivity, in 2014, providing a multi-million dollar asset in human resources to the USAF.

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Volunteering at this Museum is just “plane” fun!

Are you or someone you know ready to have some fun promoting the history of the Air Force? You don’t need a PhD in history, just a willingness to share your time with our visitors from around the world in a unique and exciting way.

Visit our website at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil and click on the volunteer link. Here you can submit your name and mailing address to receive further information and application paperwork.

Vipers in the Storm _25 YEARS LATER Keith Rosenkranz

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ar is a mixture of emotions that leaves a permanent scar on one’s soul. Mix together a spirit of patriotism with violence, death, and depression, and no matter how much time passes, the experience of war is forever embedded in one’s consciousness.When I reflect on my 37 years of flying, I remember most the bond of camaraderie and the sense of purpose my fellow F-16 fighter pilots and I shared during the 1991 Gulf War. In truth it was 25 years ago, but in many ways it seems like yesterday.

I started flying in 1978, shortly after my 19th birthday.

Not long afterwards, I enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program at Loyola Marymount University, not far from where I attended school at California State University at Long Beach. I was ultimately awarded one of six pilot training slots, and in April 1984, my wife Colette pinned my Air Force wings on me at Reese AFB in Lubbock, Texas. I remained at Reese AFB for the next three-anda-half years flying as a newly minted T-38 instructor pilot. I didn’t realize it at the time, but a few years later on a dark night over Kuwait, my experience as a T-38 instructor would be instrumental in saving my life.

Fresh with news that we were expecting twins, Colette and I left Reese AFB in January 1988 for AT-38 lead-in fighter training at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. After eight weeks of great flying, we moved on to Luke AFB, Arizona for six months of F-16 training. Our daughters Candice and Kristen were born in September 1988, and a few months later I was on my way to Kunsan Air Base in the Republic of Korea for a one-year remote assignment.

I returned to the U.S. in February 1990. After two months of professional education at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, I reunited with my family, and the four of us traveled back to Luke AFB so I could complete six weeks of F-16 low altitude navigation infrared for night (LANTIRN) training. By June, Colette, the girls and I settled into our new home at Hill AFB, Utah. The reunion would be short, as it would only be a few weeks before Iraqi forces would invade the tiny nation of Kuwait.

The weeks prior to my deployment to the Middle East were a roller coaster of emotions. Friends flying F-15s and

F-16s at other U.S. bases deployed shortly after Saddam Hussein’s forces stormed into Kuwait. My friends and I in the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB were certainly eager to join them. Putting one’s training to the test on the battlefield is something all fighter pilots dream about, but I had just returned from 14 months away from my family, and I was torn. Even though the decision to deploy was out of my hands, I found myself wanting to join the fight one day. But I also wanted to reestablish the family bond with Colette and the girls that had been missing for 14 months.

The guilt of missing time away from family is something every serviceman or servicewoman deals with. When people talk about the sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces make, they must include the families, for their sacrifices are just as significant.

Twenty-five years have passed since Operation Desert Shield/Storm and the memories are still fresh in my mind: My little girls in their car seats when I said goodbye that August morning at the squadron; Colette and the rest of the wives from the 4th holding signs and waving from the hammerhead before takeoff; Our 17-hour flight, which included 10 air refuelings, from the East Coast to the United Arab Emirates; The realization days after we arrived in theater that we might be there for months playing a waiting game; Listening to Secretary of State James Baker in early January 1991 announce that talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz had broken down; Watching my squadron mates take off on the first mission of the war and shaking each of their hands a few hours later when all eight returned; Dodging SAMs and AAA as a member of the largest strike package of the war during the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear research facility; Scoring 10 Maverick missile kills on the infamous “Highway of Death” north of Kuwait City during the last week of the war; And the emotional reunion with Colette and our daughters after returning from the Middle East six months after our initial deployment.

Of the 30 combat missions I flew during the 1991 Gulf War, one stands out more than any other.

Friends Journal • Winter 2015-2016

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Vipers in the Storm – 25 Years Later

Rosenkranz

Captain Rosenkranz in February 1991, in front of his F-16 with a Maverick missile under the wing. Although the F-16 is officially known as the “Fighting Falcon,” its unofficial nickname within the F-16 community is the “Viper.”

It’s February 25, 1991, and my wingman Geoff “Grover” Cleveland and I have just arrived at the squadron. The two of us are members of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron’s “Black Widows.” Because of my LANTIRN qualifications, I was transferred from the 4th TFS to the 421st TFS shortly after arriving at Al Minhad AB. Five months have passed since we arrived in theater in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Five weeks into the war, things are going well. The ground phase is underway and allied forces are moving rapidly into Kuwait. Tonight’s mission should be no different from the others I’ve flown the past week. The only question is the weather. Low ceilings and heavy rain have been impeding the allied advance, and the poor weather isn’t expected to let up until later in the week.

After the mission brief, Grover and I suit up in the life support shop and step to our jets. We start engines on time, and when I call for check in, Grover is standing by.

Three minutes prior to takeoff time, Grover and I taxi onto the runway. As soon as Grover turns off his taxi light, I switch my position lights to steady and the two of us run up our engines. When my clock reads 17:15:00, I release my brakes.

An hour into the flight, I switch our formation over to the primary check-in frequency for the AWACS

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(airborne warning and control system) in the eastern sector of Saudi Arabia, call sign Bulldog. I’m currently level at 24,000 feet, and Grover is eight miles in trail.

We were issued daily authentication codes to allow us to communicate securely with AWACS and other communication platforms, such as ABCCC and J-STARS. “Bulldog, Husky 07,” I radio.

“Husky 07, Bulldog has you loud and clear.”

“Husky 07 is base plus eleven, mission number 3207 alpha. Authenticate bravo-victor.”

“Bulldog has radar contact. Authenticate mike-lima.”

The authentication matches and the controller clears us to our assigned tanker track. I send Grover to tanker common and we proceed to our rendezvous point. It’s pitch black and we’re still in the weather. Continuing west, I call up my air-to-air radar and lock up the tanker.

“Husky 07 has radar contact twenty right for thirty miles angels two-one.”

“Two same,” Grover replies.

“Husky 08 rejoin one-mile trail.”

“Two!” [The term “angels” refers to the altitude of the formation, in this case 21,000 feet] The tanker is at my right one o’clock, heading south

Vipers in the Storm - 25 Years Later

at 21,000 feet. While easing into a left-hand turn, I pull my throttle back and begin to descend. Rejoining on a tanker at night is extremely difficult. Performing the maneuver in the weather will make it even more challenging. I level off at 20,500 feet and accelerate to 340 knots. The tanker is three miles in front of me, and I have 30 knots of overtake. Thank God for the forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) system.

As I approach the tanker, I pull my throttle back, open my air-refueling door, and switch my electronic countermeasures pod to standby. The clouds are thick.

I’m 500 feet below the tanker. With one eye on my airspeed and another on the distance between us, I continue forward.As I close to within a few hundred feet, the outline of the aircraft begins to appear in my FLIR. It’s a KC-10 and I’ve got the boom in sight. As soon as I put my radar to standby, I push my throttle up and ease into the contact position. The boomer eventually plugs in and the fuel begins to flow.

While Grover waits patiently on the left wing, my eyes remain fixed on the refueling position lights. When my tanks are full, the boom disconnects from the receptacle behind the canopy and an amber DISC light appears on the air-refueling status indicator. I pull my throttle back ever so slightly and begin to fall back. As soon as I’m clear of the boom, I maneuver into position on the tanker’s right wing. While Grover drops into position, I punch in the strike primary frequency and contact AWACS. “Bulldog, Husky 07,” I radio.

“Go ahead, Husky 07.”

“Husky 07 checking in with two, mission number 3207 alpha. We’re carrying Mavericks [AGM-65 missiles] and

CBU-87 [cluster bombs], and we’ve been assigned to AG-6. Any words?”

“Negative, Husky 07. Advise when you’re ready to proceed north.”

I continue to orbit with the KC-10 and switch over to the joint surveillance and target attack radar system or J-STARS. [J-STARS was first deployed in Operation Desert Storm even though it was still in development].

I make the same call as before, and the controller gives me the same response as AWACS.The next call I make is to the airborne battlefield command and control center (ABCCC), and the controller tells me to contact a U.S. Marine commander who checked in a few minutes earlier looking for air support. The controller gives me two different frequencies and wishes me luck. By now Grover has finished refueling and is in the process of rejoining on my right wing.

“Husky 08, take the left wing,” I radio.

“Two!” While Grover maneuvers to the left wing of the KC-10, I punch in one of the frequencies and make a call to the Marines.

“Go ahead, Husky 07,” a gruff voice answers.

“Husky 07 is a pair of F-16s carrying Mavericks and CBU-87. ABCCC told me you might be able to use us.”

“Copy that, Husky 07. We’re getting ready to take an airfield called Ali Al Salim. The base is located 10 miles west of Al Jahrah in AG-5 quadrant one. I’m anticipating some resistance from Iraqi forces. I’d like you to come in and work along the highway between the base and Al Jahrah. Remain east of the airfield and call me when you come off.”

“Husky 07 copies. We’re departing the tanker track and should be in the area by 19:00z.”

I switch back to the tanker frequency and tell Grover to rejoin on my right wing. As soon as he’s in position, I check out with the KC-10 crew and begin to climb. Once we’re clear of the tanker, I call Grover again.

The “Kill Box” map Captain Rosenkranz carried in cockpit during the war. Iraq and Kuwait were divided into 30-square-mile “kill boxes.” AG-6 referred to a section of the map where the “Highway of Death” was located and where Rosenkranz scored 10 Maverick missile kills.

“Husky 07, check victor secure.”

“Husky 08 has you loud and clear.”

“I talked to the Marine commander and he wants us to do some work for him in AG-5 quadrant one. They’re getting ready to take Ali Al Salim Air Base. I want you to take spacing while I pull out my map and plot some coordinates.

As soon as I’m through, I’ll cross-check them with you to make sure we match.

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Vipers in the Storm – 25 Years Later

We have to remain east of the airfield, so one of the points will be the base and the other will be along the highway fifteen miles to the east.”

“Husky 08 copies.”

I level off at 24,000 feet and engage my autopilot. As I continue north, I plot the coordinates and program them into steerpoints 15 and 16. Once the steerpoints are programmed, I call for a bearing and range check.

There’s no room for error on this one. Dropping bombs or firing missiles anywhere west of the airfield may result in a friendly-fire incident.

20 miles on my nose, five miles east of the airfield. I begin to descend, hoping to find clear airspace below the cloud layer. My airspeed is 360 knots and I’m on a 335-degree heading. Passing 9,000 feet, Bitchin’ Betty calls out: “Altitude, altitude.” I continue to descend and as I pass through 7,000 feet, the weather begins to clear.

“I’ve got a mover locked,” I radio.

As I pass through 6,000 feet, Bitchin’ Betty calls out again: “Altitude, altitude.” While leveling off, I hit the uncage switch and the Maverick video appears in my right multifunction display. The vehicle I locked up is close to the Maverick tracking gates. I push the target management switch forward and slew the tracking gates over the vehicle. The infrared picture is perfect and the pointing cross is holding steady. Approximately five miles from the target, I hit the pickle button. With a loud roar, the missile flies off the rail.

“Husky 07, missile’s away,” I radio.

Pulling hard to the right, I spot a stream of red tracers at my right four o’clock. I jink right a couple of times and check back to the left.

Rosenkranz

“Copy that,” Grover responds. “I’m 13 miles in trail. Tell me when you’re coming left.”

Captain Rosenkranz with a message to Saddam Hussein from his wife, Colette, on one of his bombs.

As Grover and I cross Kuwait’s southern border, I call up AWACS on strike primary and tell them we will need to work AG-5 from 19:00z to 19:30z.

“AG-5 is empty,” Bulldog responds. “Advise leaving the area.”

To avoid a conflict in the weather, Grover will work the area at 14,000 feet and above. I’ll remain at or below 13,000 feet, and the two of us will work the highway between steerpoints 15 and 16.

Turning to a 010-degree heading, I proceed directly to steerpoint 16. While descending, I power up my Maverick missiles and complete my fence check. I have no idea what the bottom of the cloud deck is, so I check to make sure my automatic low altitude warning is set at 9,000 and 6,000 feet. If I’m still in the weather, Bitchin’ Betty [ground proximity warning system] will let me know I’m approaching the 5,000-foot floor.

I fly to a point ten miles east of steerpoint 16 and make a hard turn to the northwest. With steerpoint 15 on my nose, I call up my ground moving target radar. After a few sweeps, I lock up my first vehicle. The contact is

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Friends Journal • Winter 2015-2016

I roll to my left and stare into the blackness below.

While waiting for the missile to reach its mark, I radio: “I’m in a left-hand turn now through three-twozero … Splash the target! He’s burning! It’s a tank!”

What an incredible sight! The armored hulk blew up directly underneath me!

“Say your heading and reference off steerpoint 5,” Grover replies.

“Okay … stand by.” I realize Grover made reference to the wrong steerpoint, and after pausing a moment I call him back and say: “Understand steerpoint 15?”

While waiting for a reply, I glance inside the cockpit at my instrument panel. After confirming that I have the correct steerpoint in, I perform a range and bearing check so I can relay my position to Grover. All of a sudden, my instincts tell me something isn’t right. The flight controls are extremely sensitive and the wind blast against the canopy is deafening.The situation reminds me of the supersonic flights I used to fly with my students when I was a T-38 instructor pilot. Every student breaks the sound barrier during their first flight and they come away with two distinct impressions: It’s extremely noisy

Vipers in the Storm – 25 Years Later

in the cockpit, and because of the increase in air flow over the wings, the flight controls are much more sensitive.

Realizing what’s happening, I look down at my main attitude director indicator. I’m 30 degrees nose low, diving straight toward the ground. A quick check of my HUD shows my altitude decreasing through 1,600 feet.

Without hesitation, I pull back on the stick as hard as I can. The rapid onset of g’s causes me to lose my vision.

“Oh man … Hold on!” I radio.

As soon as I feel myself climbing, I relax the back pressure against the stick. As my vision returns, I take a deep breath and check my altitude. I’m 40 degrees nose high.

My airspeed is quickly decreasing, so I roll inverted and pull the nose back down to the horizon line in my HUD. Once I regain my situational awareness and level off, I key the mike and radio: “Okay, say your altitude right now.”

“Two-three-zero in a left-hand turn over steerpoint fifteen,” Grover replies.

“Copy. Stand by … I was just a little nose high … hold on a second.”

While celebrating a Maverick kill and preoccupying myself with Grover’s position, I broke a cardinal rule in the fighter community: I lost situational awareness.

We continue the mission, and after scoring four Iraqi tank kills, Grover and I depart the area. We head to the southeast and begin a climb to 37,000 feet. The flight across the Persian Gulf will take a while, so I engage my autopilot and reflect on the mission. I’m still shaken at the close call I had with the ground. The darkness of the night and the constant hum of my engine leaves me wondering: Am I dead and I just don’t know it? As I return to base, I re-energize myself with a granola bar Colette had sent in one of her monthly care packages.

My last flight in the F-16 occurred on February 28, 1991 – the last night of the Gulf War. I scored my last of 10 Maverick missile kills, returned to base, and listened to the cease-fire announcement given by President George H. W. Bush a short time later. Four days later, I was on a C-5 transport on my way home to America.

of both his T-38 instructor and AT-38 lead-in fighter training classes, and top graduate and top gun of his F-16 training class.

Captain Rosenkranz deployed with his unit to Al Minhad AB, UAE in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. The 17hour flight is one of the longest in the history of the F-16 and included 10 aerial refuelings. During the Gulf War, Rosey flew 30 combat missions and scored 10 Maverick Missile kills on the infamous “Highway of Death.” He is currently a captain with Delta Air Lines and lives with his wife Colette in the Dallas, Texas area. Their 27-year-old twin daughters, Candice and Kristen, live in Tennessee and Oklahoma. This article is excerpted from author Keith Rosenkranz’s book, Vipers In The Storm. Readers interested in contacting Keith can email him via RoseyF16@gmail.com or through his Facebook page: Vipers In The Storm – Keith Rosenkranz.

The M129 Leaflet Bomb U.S. pilots during the Gulf War, including the author, were sometimes called upon to drop M129 leaflet bombs, as part of a psychological-warfare program to encourage Iraqi soldiers to give themselves up. The front side of the leaflet below shows a picture of an Iraqi soldier surrendering to a Saudi member of the coalition. The card also shows Iraqi soldiers in a Saudi camp, eating fruit and drinking tea. Printed in Arabic on the leaflet’s other side is the following message: “This is the Central Military Command and Operation.You will be a guest of the allied forces. You are invited to join the allied forces, and you will have the right of hospitality. You will be secure and treated medically. You will be able to return home as soon as the situation Saddam put us in is finished.

My brother Iraqi soldiers, this invitation is open to you and your fellow soldiers.We wish you would accept it as soon as you can.

Commander of Allied Forces and Operations Center”

Front side of leaflet author dropped on Iraqi soldiers.

As I reflect back on the war, I feel fortunate to have served with so many great Americans. I also feel fortunate to have been a fighter pilot and to have flown the F-16.

Author Keith Rosenkranz—“Rosey” to his friends—was born and raised in Southern California and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the USAF in 1982. He was the top graduate

Back side of leaflet.

Friends Journal • Winter 2015-2016

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