Laughlin IP helps launch Iraqi Air Force

  • Published
  • By Joel Langton
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Most people are ecstatic to shave four months off of a 12-month deployment, being able to return to family and creature comforts a little sooner.

However, for one former Laughlin lieutenant colonel who did just that, returning home was bittersweet.

Lt. Col. Chris Spigelmire, the former Chief of Wing Safety and an instructor pilot here before being deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq in April of 2009, just returned from a stint as the 521st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron commander. His time there ended when he closed the squadron down because its mission was completed four months ahead of schedule.

Lt. Col. Spigelmire said it was the job of a lifetime. The fighter pilot left Laughlin in May, 2009 and went through a month of air advisor training and learned how-to fly a Cessna.

Once on the ground in Iraq, his first mission was to train the Iraqis how to fire a Hellfire missile from a Cessna Caravan, something that has to be carefully taught hands-on.

The Hellfire, known for its versatility, can be fired from aerial platforms ranging from a helicopter to a C-130 aircraft, or even a Cessna. Though versatile in its platform, the missile is deadly, able to decimate a tank, according to Wikipedia.

After months of training the Iraqis, Lt. Col. Spigelmire's 50-person squadron got the fledgling air force to the point it could successfully launch the Hellfire from the Cessna Caravan, a historical day in Iraq's history that Lt. Col. Spigelmire said he'd never forget.
"The Iraqis were very nervous beforehand," Lt. Col. Spigelmire said.

However, they were euphoric after the successful mission. "To see the pride in their faces was something I'll never forget. When we landed, the Iraqi generals were there to greet them and they had a big celebration."

Although Lt. Col. Spigelmire flew along as an advisor, he said the entire final event was an Iraqi-run operation.

The Americans relinquish more and more of the mission as the Iraqis proved that they had the know-how and infrastructure to accomplish it on their own.

"The Iraqis got the missile out of storage, put it on the plane, flew the mission and hit the target. It was entirely their operation," he said, with a smile that mirrored his pride in the event.

"We got them from the point where they didn't know anything about the missile to the point where they were able to fire the missiles," he said.

After accomplishing the first mission, Lt. Col. Spigelmire and his team of advisers transitioned to another mission, helping stand up the nation's flying training mission where they'd be developing the country's instructor pilots. "Our philosophy changed from one of pilot production to train the trainer," he said. In the four-month time span they worked to produce instructors, the flying training unit went from four instructors to 29.

Lt. Col. Spigelmire said the foundation for much of the mission's success was laid at Laughlin, where he was a T-38 Talon instructor.

"Some of my experiences at Laughlin really helped me out," he said. "Setting up a syllabus, running the syllabus and timeline and advising the pilot training squadron was pretty much what I did here."

However, the Iraqi students, primarily "pretty good English-speakers," were a bit different than his typical Laughlin undergraduate pilot training students. "At Laughlin, our students are already accomplished in flying the T-6 before I begin training them in the T-38. Over there, many of the students had never driven a car."

However, the same basic pilot teaching rules applied in both cultures. "The key is connect with the student and also, understand their culture," he said.

Lt. Col. Spigelmire is nearly in awe of his fellow pilots, who he called Iraqi patriots.

"There is a very bright future for them. They're just as smart and just as talented as U.S. pilots and they're hungry. They want it right now and they want a better future for their families, and they're going to get it," he said.

He said many of his students' lives' were endangered because of their work with the Iraqi Air Force.

"Many had death threats against their lives, there was one who moved his family every month or so to keep them safe," he said. "The entire assignment impacted my life. It was the most rewarding assignment I've ever had. I know now to be thankful for all of the blessings I have."

It was a rewarding assignment for Lt. Col. Spigelmire but also for the Iraqi Air Force. When he arrived there, the nation's air force hadn't fired a missile in years, nor trained pilots. By the time he left, they had fired a missile and had stood up a brand new pilot training squadron thanks to Lt. Col. Spigelmire's efforts.

"Closing the U.S. training squadron down was bittersweet," said Lt. Col. Spigelmire. "I saw the squadron go from 50 U.S. Air Force members to 10, but it was also very satisfying that we were able to do that because it meant the Iraqis were doing very well."

"I poured my heart and soul into this assignment and it's tough to just walk away. But in a way it was a good feeling because it meant the Iraqis could do it by themselves."