Tulsa-based fliers bomb al-Qaida camp
By MANNY GAMALLO
World Staff Writer
7/25/2007
The Tulsa-based 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard wasted no time in making a name for itself in Iraq by helping destroy an al-Qaida training camp.
F-16s, their tails emblazoned with warrior chief and Tulsa markings, roared off the Balad Air Base 40 miles north of Baghdad on Saturday and took out the camp near Karbala, 60 miles southwest of the capital.
There were four planes involved in the attack, and each of the jet fighters dropped 500- and 1,000-pound bombs on the target, destroying the camp and reducing al-Qaida's power to launch terror attacks in the region, the U.S. military said.
It was no small feat for the 138th Fighter Wing, the bulk of which had been in Iraq for just three weeks before the camp was targeted.
The mission was featured in Air Force news.
It also drew high praise from Air Force Col. Charles Moore, group commander for the 332nd Expeditionary Operations, which joined in the attack.
"I could not be prouder of the way our airmen performed on Saturday. The events of this past weekend once again demonstrate the Air Force's ability to deliver decisive combat air power any place and at any time," he said.
The 138th Fighter Wing is operating with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad.
Saturday's mission was a coordinated attack in which air controllers on the ground cleared the F-16s to drop their deadly guided munitions on the camp.
Authorities said the destruction of the camp dealt a serious blow to al-Qaida's ability to attack the Iraqi government, coalition forces and innocent civilians.
No estimate was available on the number of terrorists who may have been killed in the attack.
News of the attack was well-received at the 138th Fighter Wing's base, located next to Tulsa International Airport.
The wing commander, Col. William Hadaway, said he is "extremely proud of the men and women of the 138th Fighter Wing."
"They are all dedicated and professional individuals who are doing an outstanding job," Hadaway said.
"It takes each one of them to make our mission a success. This is what we train for; this is what it is all about."
Moore said the camp's destruction is part of an aggressive plan to hunt, capture or kill terrorists bent on destabilizing Iraq.
"Our airmen and other coalition forces are helping Iraq achieve a stable government, and ultimately helping the United States and our allies to defeat terrorism," he said.
About 190 members of the 138th Fighter Wing left from Tulsa en route to Iraq on June 27.
They were joining another 100 members of the fighter wing, including the F-16 fighters, who had been deployed to Iraq a month earlier.
Most members of the 138th Fighter Wing are no strangers to Iraq and the region, having been there before.
The 138th Fighter Wing was expected to be deployed in Iraq for two months.
With this in mind, Hadaway praised and thanked "local employers for their continued support" of 138th Fighter Wing personnel.
The Oklahoma personnel replaced the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard based at Toledo.
The Ohio Air Guard lost a pilot in June during a takeoff from Balad.
Maj. Kevin Sonnenberg, 42, of Napoleon, Ohio, died in his F-16. The plane was from the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
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These guys have only been over there a few weeks. Nice to see F-16s with "Tulsa" in red and a Native American logo on their tails blazing down on the freaks. I doubt they did.
