Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force

43

The number 717, which seems to be missing from the sequence of Boeing model numbers, was the company’s internal project designation for the KC-135.

44

Each KC-10 is roughly equivalent to 2.3 KC-135s in fuel capacity.

45

The YC-15’s maximum takeoff weight of 216,000 lb/98,000 kg and wingspan of 132 feet 7 inches/40.4 meters compares with 580,000 lb/263,000 kg and 170 feet/51.7 meters for the C-17.

46

This principle was finally implemented in a successful commercial aircraft by the Russian Antonov design bureau, with their AN-72 medium transport.

47

Undersecretary Deutch would later become CIA Director following the Aldrich Ames spy scandal that rocked the agency.

48

In fact, when the recall order came, the lead elements of the lead brigade were less than twenty minutes from the point where recall would not have been possible. Only an extraordinary effort by the control centers of the Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command was able to get all of the troopers and their gear back to base safely that muggy and stormy night.

49

This was the famous “Battle of the Bulge,” which became the largest battle of the Euorpean Campaign and the biggest ever fought by the U.S. Army.

50

For more on the 366th Wing and the composite wing concept, see Fighter Wing (Berkley Books, 1995).

51

For additional information on the ARG, MEU (SOC), and MPS concepts, see Marine (Berkley Books, 1996).

52

This delegation, led by Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney, included Generals H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA (Commander, U.S. Central Command [CENTCOM]), John Yeosock, USA (Commander, U.S. Third Army/U.S. Central Command Army Forces [ARCENT]), and Charles Horner, USAF (Commander, U.S. Central Command Air Forces [CENTAF]), as well as numerous other defense and diplomatic personnel.

53

These peacekeeping troops provide a buffer force between Israel and Egypt, as a part of the Camp David Accords that were signed in the late 1970s. Since 1982, the U.S. has always supplied a battalion of U.S. forces for the effort. These typically are drawn from either the 82nd or 101 st Airborne Divisions.

54

Fort Polk has won a fistful of environmental awards for its superb work on preserving the local wildlife habitats. In particular, it has made excellent progress in preserving the ranges of the red cockaded wood-pecker and EPA-designated endangered species. For more information on Fort Polk, check its World Wide Web page at: http://www.jrtc-polk.army.mil/.

55

Stands for “Killed in Action.”