Authorized newspaper of Fort Lewis, Washington
An OH-58D Kiowa Warrior fires a Hydra rocket over the city of Mosul, Iraq, April 6. The rocket was fired into a test fire pit, ensuring the helicopters’ weapons systems are functional before moving out into the Mosul area to provide security for ground troops.
MOSUL, Iraq — When Soldiers conduct ground operations in Mosul’s urban environment, they face many dangers. Small arms fire, indirect fire and roadside bombs are a constant threat to dismounted Soldiers and vehicles alike.
While up-armored vehicles and crew served weapons provide protection to these Soldiers, an additional asset, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter gives the coalition forces’ and Iraqi Security Forces’ ground troops an additional sense of security.
“Mosul is one of the last stopping points for the insurgency in Iraq,” said Capt. Brian Carr, the flight operations officer for 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment, out of Fort Lewis. “It’s very vital that we get this city safe and back into Iraqi control.”
The Kiowa is an armed reconnaissance helicopter used in the role of a scout attack bird in support of ground operations. The Soldiers of 4-6 Air Cav. maintain and fly these agile helicopters in Mosul and throughout Ninewah Province, providing security, extra firepower and confidence to the “boots on ground” troops.
“The ground guys love us because we make noise over their head and scare the enemy off,” said Chief Warrant Officer George Siegler, a Kiowa pilot. “On some occasions we get to find the bad guys and kill them, which of course the ground guys love as well.”
Since deploying to Iraq in June 2007, 4-6 Cav. “Redcatcher“ pilots have flown more than 29,000 hours over their approximately 18,600 square mile area of operations.
“Our unit support is outstanding,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jack Varble. “These guys will do anything and everything to make sure we have all of the information we need to complete our mission.”
More than 2.5 million gallons of fuel have been pumped from three Redcatcher Forward Arming and Refueling Points in Ninewah Province to keep these birds of prey soaring. Soldiers working the FARPs are trained and ready to rearm and refuel a Kiowa in minutes, enabling pilots to return to the fight quickly.
“The guys on the FARP work as fast and safe as possible,” Varble said. “They get us back up into the air as fast as possible to complete our mission. Without them we couldn’t complete our mission.”
“They’re real fast. Sometimes we’ll call ahead and let them know there are birds inbound and we need fuel or armament fast,” Siegler said. “They always accommodate us. They’re great.”
As with any aircraft, several hours of maintenance are required for every flight hour in the Kiowa.
“We determine whether or not the birds are operational,” said Spc. Mario Aguilar, a Kiowa crew chief in 4-6 Air Cav. “Occasionally they will see birds come in with battle damage. We’ve been hit with mortars and rockets here, damaging our birds. We work as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to make the bird operational again.”
Ten months into their 15-month deployment, Soldiers of E Troop have completed more than 300,000 maintenance tasks amounting to more than 280,000 man-hours of work.
Something as small as a leak can cost somebody their life, Aguilar said. It’s very important to be thorough because peoples’ lives depend on it.
The Redcatchers take their mission seriously and know they have a big responsibility. The ground Soldiers depend on the pilots who depend on their support to keep them in the fight.
“The most rewarding part is to know that somebody’s Soldier, somebody’s husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend comes home because we were able to provide some aerial support,” Carr said. “Whether it be with covering fire or our presence intimidating the enemy into not coming out and harming our Soldiers.”
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