Above & Beyond: Take a Left at Portugal
- By James A. Jimenez
- Air & Space magazine, January 2009
Because France and Spain would not grant the United States overfly rights, the 1986 F-111 raid on Libya required a lengthy detour.
Illustration F. Matthew Hale; Inset: SSGT WOODWARD/RAF
(Page 3 of 3)
About 90 minutes later, we latched onto the boom of a tanker with 2,000 pounds of fuel—about 15 minutes of flying time—remaining. We landed at Lakenheath and were towed into a shelter, where a caravan of cars pulled up. General Charles Gabriel, the Air Force chief of staff, was eager to welcome us back. I put my helmet in its bag and started gathering my other stuff: pistol and ammunition, maps, code books, checklists, an empty lunch box, water bottles, and two full piddle packs. I carefully rose from the seat and descended the ladder. As soon as I turned around, there was General Gabriel, his right hand extended.
Our eyes met. It was an awkward moment for me, but the general instantly understood. He immediately took the piddle packs with his left hand, while shaking my now-free right. The first time I met the chief of staff, I gave him two pints of urine.
Comments (5)
I remember that night, as the roar of the engines filled the skies over Lakenheath. It was like shooting stars between the runways of Lakenheath and the runways of Mildenhall, filling the skies with fighter-Bombers and tankers. It was said the timing was also in synch with all the reporters going to dinner that night as the SPs reported to the command post "all clear." I was working night shift in the jet engine shop and praying that all went well knowing the mission also depended on the engines that powered those fighters, and it was anyone's guess if the engines would be up to the task. If you went by the historic performance of the engines no one in the right mind would use those P&W engines in a combat setting. The engine turbine shell out rate was higher then the "OR" rate for the entire NATO fleet. However our guys did well; sorry to say we lost a good crew that night. Little did I know that when I shook the hand of the pilot in church that morning he would be gone before sun up the next day. The engines never did improve and eventually the Wing up-graded to F-15 aircraft and the F-111F were eventually retired due to high maintenance costs and low engine reliability.
Posted by Mike Solon - AKA J79 Engine on December 2,2008 | 08:43 AM
I remember that night, as the roar of the engines filled the skies over Lakenheath. It was like shooting stars between the runways of Lakenheath and the runways of Mildenhall filling the skies with fighter-Bombers and tankers. It was said the timeing was also in sink with all the reporters going to dinner that night as the SPs reported to the command post "all clear" I was working night shift in the jet engine shop and praying that all went well knowing the mission also dependfed on the engines that powered those fgighters and it was anyone's guess if the engines would be up to the task. If you went by the history performance of the engines no one in the right mind would use those P&W engines in a combat setting. The engine turbine shell out rate was higher then the "OR" rate for the entire NATO fleet. However our Guys did well, sorry to say we lost a good crew that night, little did I know that when I shook the hand of the pilot in church that morning he would be gone before sun up the next day. The engines never did improve and eventially the Wing up-graded to F15 aircraft and the F111F were eventially retired due to high maintenance costs and low engine reliability.
Posted by Mike Solon - AKA J79 Engine on December 2,2008 | 08:43 AM
As a 20 year-old Airman new to the Air Force, I arrived at Mountain Home AFB, ID in September, 1971. There was not an airplane in sight. All the RF4-C's had departed and the new F-111F's had not yet arrived. After a few weeks, a couple T-33's were made available to the gathering number of pilots and a couple 'Pedro's' were all that were on the base. Soon, F111's began to arrive and the base ramped up to the mission of training pilots but my duties as a computer operator in the base computer room changed very little. We used to drive around to either end of the runway just outside the base to watch the Aardvarks land and take off.
To hear they were involved in the Libyan mission gives me a bit of satisfaction, even 20+ years on. I transferred to Luke AFB in 1973 and watched F-4C's, F-104's and later F-15's until I left the AF in 1978. Still fascinated, I occaisionally return to the end of the runways and attend all air shows to indulge myself in that thrill that never goes away.
Posted by Phil Morris on February 14,2009 | 07:58 AM
i remember hearing all you guys going out as if was yesterday,
robert
wymondham
norfolk
Posted by robert starling on February 25,2010 | 01:55 PM
I was a JEEP (Just Enough Education to Pass) security police officer at Lakenheath and was assigned to be a Base Agressor for the salty nation training that was going on.. so not knowing being told to arm up in the middle was not unusual for the exercise. While sitting on the flightline with a fire team of E-6's and above me being E-3 A1C, we were watching all the planes F-111-F's being armed up with live bombs. all the sgts. in my Peacekeeper saying "WOW we are going to f--- someone up". As we watched the F-111's take off in groups of four with every group of F-111's that took off we saw a refueler take off from Mildenhall. What a sight, the afterburners at take off still burned into my eyes. I remember being relieved and going right to bed and waking up to the S.P. Dorm going nuts and to hear President Reagan saying "We had to do what we had to do." The next few months in foxholes around the base was not fun but duty came first.
Rodney Pierce Sgt. (1985-1991)
7348th Security Police Squadron
R.A.F. Lakenheath March 1986 - April 1988
Posted by SGT. Rodney Pierce U.S.A.F. Security Police on January 29,2013 | 10:33 PM