From the wings of history come experienced Airmen

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Julie Briden-Garcia
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas --  The 301st Fighter Wing celebrated a historical 70th birthday Oct. 5, 2014. Over the years, many Reservists have come and gone, but there are a few Airmen who have flourished for more than two consecutive decades of that history here. One of those homesteaders is Col. Bruce Cox.

Col. Cox, or Baghdad as he's known by most, arrived at the 301st Fighter Wing back in 1991 after serving over five years as an active duty F-16 pilot having supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

"In the mind of a teenager craving to be a fighter pilot, and then a commissioned officer following my graduation from Texas A&M University, I never imagined America would ever go to war again. Our nation, following the controversial involvement in Vietnam, had little appetite to commit military forces abroad. That was the mindset with which I entered the Air Force. Little did I know that, just five short years later, I'd be flying missions two and three hundred miles deep inside Iraq striking targets in Baghdad proper. There were many exciting moments to say the least."

He came to Carswell Air Force Base when active duty downsized the fighter wings and stockpiled fighter pilots on the Reserve and Guard side of the house. With valuable experience gained during Desert Storm, these Airmen were afforded the opportunity to continue to serve as active duty flyers attached to a Reserve or Guard unit. It was that move that afforded Col. Cox the chance to return to his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, where he was born and raised.

He showed up at CAFB when it belonged to Strategic Air Command. Those days the base supported active duty B-52s and KC-135s, with the fighter ramp largely populated with F-4s and some of the newer F-16s. "It was an exciting time," said the colonel.

At the end of the Gulf War, most pilots were either in the F-4 to F-16 conversion, or had just completed it. None of the resident 457th Fighter Squadron pilots had the opportunity to participate in the war due to this long scheduled aircraft conversion. One of the goals of associating young pilots in the reserve and guard was to share the recent combat experience gained by those fortunate to serve in Desert Storm, recalls Cox.

Then in 1993, just two short years later, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) changed Carswell AFB significantly. Soon after the F-4 to F-16 conversion, BRAC shut down the 7th Bomb Wing here and the base became Carswell Air Reserve Base for a short time. During a subsequent BRAC, the U.S. Navy transitioned from Hensley Field, Grand Prairie, Texas, to here and Carswell ARB became what it is known as today, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas.

The next few years Cox saw the Air Force Reserve Command move forward with obtaining more modernized flight equipment enabling a greater footprint in real world operations. But Cox said it was 301 FW Airmen who leveraged the equipment to making the unit the most innovative Reserve Fighter Wing in the nation. Prior to the turn of the century, they underwent major upgrades to include data-link, night-vision goggles and the ability to carry and employ advanced targeting pods.

While supporting Operation Northern Watch in 1999, the 457th Fighter Squadron made Air Force Reserve history when our pilots dropped live, laser-guided bombs in a real-world combat environment, destroying numerous Iraqi military targets. This deployment marked the first time in history that Air Force Reserve F-16s dropped laser-guided bombs in combat.

"It was a remarkable capability increase," said Baghdad. "After flying the same airplane for 10 years, which required rolling in and dropping gravity bombs much like we did in World War II through most of Vietnam, the 457th Fighter Squadron joined the precision guidance era, affording the opportunity for one bomb to do the work of what previously took many aircraft.

"I was a worker bee working for some very smart people like (Brig. Gen.) "Too Tall" Anderson, probably one of the biggest brain fighter pilots I've ever served with." Then, Col. Frank Anderson, was at the core of integrating the CUPID model (Combat Upgrade Plan Integration Details) which gave older F-16s new life by adding night vision equipment, enhanced avionics, and the ability to carry an infrared targeting pod and laser-guided munitions. He helped sell this program to the Reserve Command and then secured the funds from NGREA, the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation fund.

"It was this money apportioned directly to the Reserve allowing the wing to, very nimbly and cost effectively, upgrade equipment as opposed to some very lengthy, large and expensive DoD program," said Cox. "The Reserve Component fighter forces were able to secure an 80 percent solution for roughly twenty cents on the dollar."

Deploying just months after September 11, 2001, the 301 FW set out for Kuwait, in support of Operation Southern Watch. When they arrived for duty, they were also tasked to fly missions over Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom, flying nearly 200 missions and releasing close to 200 bombs.

"We were flying some of the longest single-seat, single-engine combat sorties in history over Afghanistan, with some missions exceeding 10-11 hours flight time," said Cox. These long sortie durations resulted in significant system inaccuracies, creating problems for flyers to support coalition forces on the ground. A result of the leadership under, then AFRC Commander, Lt. Gen. John Bradley, the deployed aircraft were rapidly upgraded with GPS capability, which then vaulted AFRC's F-16 fleet to being the most capable fighters supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cox recalls volunteerism, at that time, being at an all-time high throughout the wing. Everyone who deployed from the wing to Southwest Asia raised their hand to go. "There was even a waiting list for those standing by to do their part," said Cox. "Essentially our F-16s flew around the clock to support combat operations while the 301st Maintenance Airmen executed an accelerated phase line. They were phasing airplanes inside of 24 hours - a remarkable accomplishment."

"I don't think we lost a single sortie we were obligated to fill via the [Air Tasking Order]. We owe it all to the maintainers and aircrew flight equipment folks. While the pilots were running on adrenaline to get everything done, it was the maintainers who gave us the good airplanes to go do the mission," he said. Col. Cox continues to sing praise to those Airmen who work in mission support and other squadrons within the wing - they are also part of the team and fighter pilots couldn't do their job without them!

"I have an immense appreciation for where we are and how much the 'wing team' supports what we do out there as flyers. We want our young fighter pilots to be myopically focused on the mission, but I would encourage all pilots take the time to shake the hands of the many folks who make it all happen. Make sure they know you couldn't do what you do without them."

Following 9/11, operations tempo for the Combat Air Forces (CAF) had our Airmen either preparing to deploy, deployed, or getting back and wrapping up loose ends after a deployment - it was a pretty rigid pace as we were out the door about every 18 months, he exclaimed.

Even though the operations tempo has slowed since that time, the training and modernization continues throughout the command. One of the most successful programs at the 301 FW has been the Active Associate program. Active Associations provide a large benefit to the country by using the experience resident in Reserve forces to train the next generation of war fighters. The larger full-time workforce has significantly increased the unit's rotational capacity. Under the Active Association model, our nation retains tremendous combat capability, while providing this force at a fraction of the cost.

Additionally, having a robust Reserve force provides opportunity for active duty Airmen separating after their initial service commitment, to continue in service, capitalizing on the large training investments undertaken by our regular Air Force partners.

One strategic challenge through this all has been balancing the triad. Former AFRC Commander, Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner, emphasized how important this balance was to the Air Force Reserve.

"There's been movement to create an AFRC that looks, feels and smells more like active duty, in terms of individual ops tempo, with respect to the demands of moving around more and other requirements complicating active duty life," said Cox. "So it's a strategic challenge! We've got to find that balance ourselves as leaders inside the AFRC to assure we maintain the attractiveness for both what we offer the country and also the Citizen Airmen who volunteer to serve in the Air Force Reserve.

"When an Airman crosses over from serving as active duty, they bring a very valuable asset to the job - experience! Reserve Airmen tend to stay in one place longer, giving them a strong foundation and a greater since of pride and experience!"

As a positive example of AFRC's worth, our Citizen Airmen are held to the same standard, the same skills as active duty counterparts. Our nation benefits greatly by having a capable, scalable and very affordable force ready for action when needed. "The Active Association program was absolutely icing on the cake ... it's been great ... having that youth invigorate the squadrons," said the colonel.

After experiencing many improvements to the 301 FW, Cox was chosen in May 2010 to become 10 AF's director of operations. Then two years later, his directorate became A3/A5, combining operations and plans. His position is responsible for ensuring 10 AF operations are organized, trained and equipped, and ready to execute the mission as well as being accountable as he looks to the force structure and how 10 AF units are organized for the future.

"I've been pretty fortunate with 10 AF being co-located at the installation with the 301st. I was able to serve more than two decades at one installation."

One piece of advice he felt important to pass on to young pilots, is to have a full appreciation of the maintainers and aircrew flight equipment folks (the folks who take care of you), whether they are on the line, in the back shop, life support ... wherever they are.

"Step a few minutes early and get to know every crew chief out there on the line. When you come back for de-brief, shake every hand you see ... it is the maintainers who give you that airplane to go fly, it is the Intel shop and life support who prepare you for that flight. Fighter pilots are, and should be, very proud of the job done while in the air, but if we didn't have world-class preparation, training and a fully mission capable airplane to go out and execute, we would not be the dominant fighting Air Force we are today," said Baghdad.

Having spent nearly 23 years of his Air Force service at the 301st Fighter Wing and 10th Air Force, it is time for this Fightin' Spad to leave. He will become the next 307th Bomb Wing commander at Barksdale AFB, La., where AFRC's B-52 bombers call home. He's taken his 'fini' flight and said his goodbye, but before he flies off into Fort Worth's sunset ... he has one last parting shot for the 301st.

"This has been a hell of a ride! At a professional level and certainly a personal level, I cannot image anything else I would have enjoyed more than being part of the AFRC team at Fort Worth. The friendships made and the accomplishments we've achieved have been tremendous. My time here has defined me as a warrior for the United States Air Force and I'm honored to have been a part of it."