LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
A placid August morning is disrupted by amber strobe lights and screaming klaxons as pilots and maintainers scramble vigorously around the small, four-bay hangar complex on the northwest edge of Langley Air Force Base. Radios buzz with squelching and chatter as Airmen rapidly prepare fighter jets to taxi out and take off in synchronicity. Within minutes, the pilots speed down the runway in their F-16 Fighting Falcons and launch into the serene blue sky.
While the scene appears chaotic, it's all in a day's work for the "Green Mountain Boys" of the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing Detachment 1, who fly Air Sovereignty Alert missions to defend the United States from terrorist attacks. This particular scramble was part of the detachment's readiness evaluation exercise Aug. 1.
Always vigilant
A team of 36 Vermont ANG Airmen are permanently assigned to Langley, which is more than 700 miles away from their home station at Burlington International Airport in Vermont. The detachment consists of Airmen with a wide variety of jobs; from crew chiefs to intelligence. Together, the unit stands watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year; ready to scramble their F-16s in minutes.
According to Lt. Col. Frank Marston, the detachment commander, the average time of launching an F-16 during standard operations is 45 minutes. The Green Mountain Boys get off the ground in a fraction of that time.
"We're in the air in a matter of minutes. The jet has an alignment where it's 'cocked,' ready to go," said Colonel Marston. "The F-16 is literally ready to be jumped in. The pilot's helmet is on the rail and the equipment is in the cockpit ready for him. He throws the switches and he's off. The munitions are 'safed,' but it only takes the turn of a handle to arm them."
Colonel Marston said while the F-16s are armed and ready for possible engagement, information is the most important weapon the detachment uses.
"It's not the weapons we carry; it's the information we provide to the Eastern Air Defense Sector, who then relays it to [the 1st Air Force's Continental U.S. (CONR) Region] and the [North American Aerospace Defense Command,]" he said. "In a worst-case scenario, we're prepared to engage other aircraft, but that is a remote possibility."
Practice makes perfect
The unit practices their ability to rapidly deploy their F-16s twice each week during "practice scrambles," keeping the team proficient and ready if the alarm does sound.
"We exercise every piece of a real-world mission as if it were really happening. Our pilots run in, our crew chiefs arm and launch the jets with live munitions," Colonel Marston said. "We practice intercepting aircraft that enter controlled airspace. Sometimes we use 'role playing,' such as intercepting hijacked aircraft or planes experiencing in-flight emergencies."
Homeland security missions do not always involve rogue aircraft. The detachment participates in scenarios involving maritime security situations in addition to aerial alerts.
Doing more with less
Because of the small number of personnel assigned to the detachment, the Airmen take on a multitude of additional duties to ensure all mission-critical functions are accomplished.
"We need to do what a wing does, so there are dozens and dozens of additional duties," Colonel Marston said. "We need Airmen that take the bull by the horns, that don't wait to be told what to do. In many cases, we only have one Airman in a given job, and due to the urgency of our mission they need to know what to do, how to do it and be able to do it when called upon with limited or no supervision.
"One link in the chain can affect the jets getting airborne," he continued. "It's truly a privilege to be here because of the efforts from the people that go outside their lane to do the job because it's the right thing to do."
Senior Airman Jeremy Devlin, a 158th FW Det 1 crew chief, echoed his commander's sentiment.
"We all have a lot of responsibility, and it's not something we can slack off on or procrastinate to do," he said. "We need to be ready to go in an instant, so we help each other to get things done to be ready when needed."
A little help from friends
While the Green Mountain Boys proudly take on the immense responsibility of the alert mission, Colonel Marston credits a lot of the unit's success to its "excellent relationship" with Langley's 1st FW and the 633rd Air Base Wing.
"The 1st Fighter Wing and 633rd Air Base Wing are tremendous, as they provide command post, security forces, and so many more host-support functions to us," he said. The unit conducts as many personnel functions out of Vermont as possible, but Langley's wings augment the support pieces that the detachment cannot accomplish due to the geographic separation.
"We take our mission very seriously," he added. "We know the American people rely on us, and we will execute when the call comes into us. We couldn't do that without the support we get from Langley, and we look forward to continuing that great partnership."
"When I joined the [ANG] I didn't expect to leave Vermont to serve, although I wanted to be able to travel," said Airman Devlin. "When the opportunity came to serve at Langley, I jumped on it. It's such an awesome experience being around all the military history in this area."
A proud heritage
The Green Mountain Boys' name originated from the 1760's-era New Hampshire militia formed by Revolutionary War patriot Ethan Allen that helped lay the foundations of modern-day Vermont. This militia eventually became known as the Vermont National Guard, and upon formation, the Vermont ANG adopted the name to preserve the rich, war-fighting heritage of the state.
"You can't help but realize the significance of Ethan Allen's militia, which in itself performed a version of an 'alert mission,' as its citizen-soldiers were ready to go at a moment's notice. That's what we do here now," Colonel Marston said. "The means have changed, trading muskets for F-16s, but the idea is the same: defend our nation and its people."