What defines a Battlefield Airman?

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman James Bolinger
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Pop! Pop! Pop!

"Squad 1 Contact Left! GET ON LINE!" screams a young lieutenant over the sound of firing AK-47s.

Thirteen Airmen rush and roll, one fire team at a time, into a straight line. They lie prone, with one member from each fire team facing the opposite direction to cover the squad's flanks.

"Alpha! FLANK 'EM," screams the lieutenant. "Bravo, Charlie - provide covering fire and prepare to shift fire left on my mark!"
Alpha team waits till their fellow servicemembers pin down the threat. They then stand and sprint in a wedge formation across a field and into the forest 90 degrees from the enemy ... and their squad.

"SHIFT FIRE LEFT!" screams the lieutenant. Nine M-16 rifles begin firing 20 degrees to the left of the enemy. While they do so, Alpha fire team fires into the enemy's flanks, flushing them into the waiting field of fire. They kill six insurgents, all armed with AK-47s.

The word Airmen at the beginning of this scenario may have confused you. You might have thought it was a mistake; only the Army or the Marines get in firefights, right?

This, however, is a scenario from an Air Force training facility at Fort Dix, N.J., that teaches basic combat techniques and tactics to Airmen deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It's a 10-day course designed to instill a warrior ethos and teach Airmen who are on convoys or outside the wire with their Army comrades how to react if they come under fire.

The term Battlefield Airman traditionally describes a member of the Air Force who is on the front lines, shoulder-to-shoulder with Soldiers and Marines putting bullets down range.

These people are in very specialized career fields and their mission is vital to winning the Global War on Terror. Pararescuemen, combat controllers and explosives ordnance disposals technicians were the Air Force's traditional 'ground troops.'

While these members still see more action than any other Airmen, more and more members are riding on convoys and patrolling streets along side soldiers.

So what defines a Battlefield Airman?

I am a public affairs practitioner. I edit a base newspaper and escort media. I am deploying for six months to Afghanistan.

Someone high up my career field's chain of command decided that all Air Force public affairs members will attend a combat-skills training course before they deploy.

Some, like myself, attended the 10-day course at Fort Dix, others have attended 40- and 60-day courses that get even more involved in teaching infantry skills.

Others, like Air Force logistic planners and security forces members, attend even longer schools before they deploy. They learn how to be security-truck gunners on convoys, along with advanced tactics to protect them while they are 'outside the wire.'

What we used to define as a Battlefield Airman has been tossed out the window. We are a joint force as never before - Airmen deploy with ground forces and some even fill Army slots.

So what is a Battlefield Airman?

It is any member of our service. It is evidenced by Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. T. Michael Mosley, who released the Airmen's Creed to energize a warrior ethos in all Airmen.

As any of us can now deploy and see combat, we must embrace this training, embody the warrior ethos and accept the fact that we are all Battlefield Airmen.