Bolar Spring Break 2008

  • Published
  • By Maj. Randall Haskin
  • 492nd Fighter Squadron
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  The Romanian Air Force's 71st Air Base sits on a plain amidst vast farmland, near the town of Campia Turzii in the Transylvania region of Romania. It appears every bit the former Cold War-era Warsaw Pact airbase it once was, with a fenced-in island of support and headquarters buildings jutting skyward and interrupting the low stoop of the surrounding agricultural buildings and countryside. About a mile away from the support buildings is its light gray concrete runway, cutting a swath between freshly plowed farmers' fields and home to a new very modern looking control tower and maintenance hangars.

In a muddy field adjacent to the support buildings, in stark contrast to the cold concrete, sat almost 40 freshly-built tan Alaska tents. Unlike the serenity of the surrounding farmland, the perfect rows of tents were buzzing with activity. This is where personnel from RAF Lakenheath's 492nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron "Bolars" spent their "Spring Break" 2008.

Normally the home of the Romanian Air Force's MiG-21 LanceR fighters and IAR-330L Puma helicopters, the 71st Air Base became the temporary home of the Bolars between March 23 and April 10, deployed in support of Operation Noble Endeavor. The 492nd's role was to augment the Romanian Air Force's air policing mission for the April NATO Summit in Bucharest, Romania.

With most of the NATO heads of state in attendance, ensuring air dominance in the skies overhead the Bucharest Summit was of utmost importance to both the host nation, Romania, and the NATO alliance. Romania, a member of NATO since 2004, not only hosted this year's summit, but was also primarily responsible for providing protection in the skies overhead. They requested assistance in that task from the NATO alliance, and the 492nd Fighter Squadron was one of the units assigned by USAFE to the 16th Air Expeditionary Task Force, 323 Air Expeditionary Wing, and the 404 Air Expeditionary Group, to assist.

The 492nd EFS performed the task with 12 F-15 Strike Eagles and more than 150 aviators, maintenance, and support personnel. In expeditionary fashion, the maintenance personnel worked side by side with operations under the command of Lt. Col. Chris Short and Chief Master Sgt. Russell Hastings.

The Bolars sat with aircraft and aircrews on 24-hour alert between April 2 and April 4. The mission was to provide backup for our fellow Liberty Warriors, the 493rd EFS Reapers, who were flying patrols during those same three days. Prior to the summit, the Bolars flew in two field training exercises designed to test the NATO command, control, and communication procedures established for just such a contingency operation. A practice alert launch during an exercise prior to the summit showed the Bolars in prime form; ready for takeoff only six minutes after the "scramble" call from the NATO Air Operations Center -- well short of the 15 minutes required. During the three days of the Summit, the 492nd flew three two-ship combat air patrols over Bucharest in addition to the alerts. Following the NATO Summit tasking, the 492nd continued to provide on-call airpower to protect President George W. Bush during his trip to Croatia.

In addition to sitting alert for the NATO Summit, members of the 492nd also had a chance to interact with their Romanian counterparts. Initially both groups led "show and tell" sessions, with Romanian MiG pilots leading tours of their Lancer fighters for USAF personnel. The F-15 Strike Eagle aircrews then reciprocated by showing off the Strike Eagle to MiG pilots. Maintenance personnel from both countries also exchanged techniques and procedures as well. Lt. Brent Golden, a pilot with the 492nd on his very first deployment, said, "It's been great to interact with the Romanians. They've gone out of their way to make us feel at home." Capping off the exchanges was a visit from the Romanian Air Force Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Constantin Croitoru, and the 16th AETF/Allied Air Component Izmir Commander USAF Lt. Gen. Lee McFann who were given a tour of a F-15 Strike Eagle and the expeditionary facilities at Campia Turzii.

The 492nd's Spring Break trip to Romania was finished off with a five day weapons and tactics deployment. During the WTD, Bolar aircrews worked closely with Romanian Ground-Controlled Intercept controllers and familiarized themselves with Romanian airspace and flying procedures. As part of the WTD, two MiG-21 pilots flew orientation sorties in F-15 Strike Eagles, and two 492nd aircrew, Capt. Michael Emerson and Capt. Jacob Van Camp, flew orientation missions in Romanian Air Force MiG-21 LanceR fighters. Such personal exchanges greatly enhanced the friendship and interoperability between the air forces of these recent allies. Other off-duty activities, such as a US versus Romania sports day and an aircrew party, added to the camaraderie and relations.

None of this could have happened, of course, without some superhuman support work by the 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron, Civil Engineer Squadron and Services Squadron, who were there well before and after the Bolars. They built, operated, and maintained the tent city erected in the muddy field, kept everyone fed, in clean clothes, and ensured DSN and internet connectivity to home (and certainly dozens of other vitally important things that probably went unnoticed because they were perfectly excecuted). Their experience, though, deserves a story all their own - there's no way it could be done justice in only a few sentences in this article (so we'll just say a big 'thanks'!!). Although filled with mud, rain, and MREs instead of surf, sun, and fun...this Bolar Spring Break '08 is one that will not soon be forgotten.