-DRAWING BY Chuck Adams

Some of us knew different. We knew the bald guy with the birthmark was only doing what someone over there would have to do, sooner or later. The tyranny couldn't continue, and couldn't really win while we were around. As scary as soviet communism was in that part of the twentieth century, we were even scarier, my brother and me.

Q: What model B-52 did you fly?

A: I flew on B-52G aircraft from March 1990 to late 1993, when the G-models were retired. I then received qualification training on B-52H at Carswell AFB, TX and went on to fly the B-52H for the remainder of my career. My DESERT STORM combat missions were flown in B-52G aircraft. The H-model did not participate in this conflict.

Q: Were you in DESERT SHIELD?

A: Yes, my crew deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam on 5 January. We spent the next two weeks flying the 43rd Bomb Wing B-52 simulator and flying real "live fire" training missions against a small island nearby. When DESERT STORM began we launched from Guam about 0100 in the morning and ferried a plane to Diego Garcia, filling the ramp at Diego. It was almost a week later before I flew my first combat mission.

Q: Where were you based during DESERT STORM?

A: I flew all of my missions out of a small island in the British Indian Ocean Territory called Diego Garcia. Other B-52 locations during DESERT STORM were: Jedda, Saudi Arabia, Fairford, England, and Moron, Spain.

Q: How many combat missions did you fly in DESERT STORM?

A: 10 missions were officially logged as Combat Missions, however I only released weapons on 8 of those missions. Two missions were air-aborts, one due to a major electronic warfare suite malfunction, the other due to the number three engine exploding shortly after take-off , its turbine blades punching holes in the flaps and causing unknown damage to engine number 4, which shares the same pod.

Q: What sorts of targets did you strike in DESERT STORM?

A: Most of the targets were large "area" targets that would maximize the destructive capability of the B-52. Among those were air bases, railroad yards, ammo dumps, tank staging areas, troops in the field, oil refineries, arms factories, artillery emplacements and clearing minefields.

Q: Were there any low level missions flown by the B-52 in DESERT STORM?

A: Crews from Loring AFB, Maine and Castle AFB, California, deployed to Diego Garcia back in August of 1990. They had spent the last six months training for these low level missions. The first three nights these crews flew a total of 36 low level missions, at night, at extremely low altitude, using night vision goggles. Every one of these missions hit their scheduled target and all returned safely to base. One B-52G did have its gun turret blown off by either AAA or a missile. That is open to a lot of speculation as to what struck the plane and whether it was enemy or friendly fire. There are a lot of theories, but I don't know what really happened. The pilot, Major Linwood Mason, my Flight Commander, managed to keep aircraft control and return for an emergency landing. He was later decorated for his excellent airmanship.

Q: Were you shot at on any of your missions?

A: Yes, we were routinely shot at by large and small caliber AAA. Most of the shells exploded well below us, however a few did explode co-altitude with us, but not close enough to cause any damage. We were "locked up" several times by surface to air missile radars, but never visually witnessed a missile launch against our aircraft.

Q: Did you always have fighters covering you?

A: At the start of the war we had dedicated F-15s that would fly along with us to clear our path of any enemy fighters. About halfway through the war that reverted to "area" Combat Air Patrol, meaning there would be somebody up and about, but not dedicated to us specifically.

Q: Did you always have F-4G Wild Weasels accompanying your flights?

A: At first we did have dedicated F-4Gs to clear our paths of any SAMs, but the F-4Gs were so heavily tasked that we wound up with "area" SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) on some missions and a couple with no coverage at all.

Q: Did you ever sit nuclear ground alert?

A: Yes, I sat five alert tours before the B-52s were taken off alert in 1991.

Q: Did the planes have nuclear weapons onboard and if so what kind?

A: As always I, nor the USAF, can ever confirm or deny the presence of thermonuclear weapons on any DOD base or facility. Sorry, that one is classified.

Q: What can you say about nuclear weapons?

A: All I can say is that the B-52 is a nuclear-capable weapon system. The aircraft can be configured with up to 20 AGM-86B air launched cruise missiles in the bomb bay and on the wings, or it can carry up to 8 nuclear free-fall bombs in the bomb bay. I cannot and will not discuss weapons effects or yields, except to say they are all "crowd-pleasers".