Changes Define Battlefield Airmen:

The work of USAF’s battlefield airmen in Afghanistan during the early phase of Operation Enduring Freedom was phenomenal, by all reports. Now, says a veteran Joint Terminal Attack Controller, there are new operational tactics, not to mention more battlefield airmen and newer, lighter equipment. Speaking with the Daily Report at the Pentagon Thursday, SMSgt. Robert Hicks said his OEF tour with a 12-member Army Special Forces team was “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my career.” Hicks, who is now the 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron operations superintendent at Shaw AFB, S.C., says the airmen on the ground have developed new tactics to provide an even better response to a ground commander’s airpower needs. Read more here.