USAF Global Reach

                  United States Air Force's Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power

Deploying to many world-wide locations in support of the Air Force Reserve's many different missions/operations
took me from the beaches of Oahu (on and after nine~eleven) to the sands of Oman and countless locations
elsewhere. My deployments to Germany, Italy, France and elsewhere sharply increased during the days of
Operation Enduring Freedom as military activities intensified in the MiddleEast following the 9/11 attack.
Accordingly my travels expanded into broader counterterrorism deployments in places like Guam, Japan and Korea.

In 2003 my Air Force Reserve Unit ~ the 507th Air Refueling Squadron was activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom ~ a combined air and ground assault by the United States
and coalition forces, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, with the goal of removing Saddam Hussein from power and disarming Iraq of weapons of mass
destruction. We packed our parts, tools, people and chemical warfare protective equipment into our Boeing KC-135R StratoTankers and headed for Oman.
During our 91 days in the Area Of Responsibility we offloaded over 23,057,000 pounds (3,547,300 gallons) of jet fuel to 900+ aircraft during the 490+ missions we flew.

Camp Justice

Home Away From Home

The "Tent City" known as Camp Justice was established on the Royal Omani Air Force base on the north end
of Masirah Island. As CENTCOM activities in and around Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa began to
increase in early 2003, increased cargo and aerial refueling assets were positioned there. To better support
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom C-130 "Hercules" and KC-135R "Stratotanker"
units were activated to form the 321st AEW

      

      Masirah Island Air Base (20°39'45"N ~ 58°53'29"E) is located near the town of Ras-Hilf on an island off the East coast of Oman. The island is about 59 miles long
      north-south by 10 miles wide and has a population of about 12,000 people. The base was established by the British in the 1930s as a fuel stop for flying boats.
      The base continued to expand into the 1970s, supporting British and Oman forces fighting insurgents during the Dhofar Rebellion and providing transit facilities
      for long-distance RAF flights. The British military presence at Masirah lasted until March 1977, when the Royal Air Force of Oman took over operation of the base.
      In 1980 Muscat and Washington concluded a ten-year agreement granting the United States limited access to the air base on Masirah. The base was subsequently
      expanded and modernised to accommodate an Omani Jaguar fighter squadron. Masirah was the staging base for Operation Eagle Claw, the disastrous attempt to
      rescue American hostages from the Tehran embassy in Iran in 1980.