Laughlin Airmen show solidarity with battlefield brethren on 9-11

  • Published
  • By Capt. Ken Hall
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs Chief
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Hundreds of Laughlin Airmen were decked out in desert camouflage utility and desert flight suits today to remember both the tragedy of September 11 and demonstrate their solidarity with their battlefield brethren today.

All who had been deployed in the war against terror and oppression were authorized to wear the uniforms they had packed away since their latest deployments in the area of operations--some who returned from deployments as recently as today.

Conceived by Lt. Col. Bruce LaCharite, 84th Flying Training Squadron commander, the measure was proposed as a way to mark the day and remind all just how important Laughlin's contributions to the long war are.

Colonel LaCharite, who is an MC-130 Combat Talon pilot with numerous combat sorties under his belt, wanted to find a way to honor those who fell on 9-11, as well as those who have and continue to combat terror today. The colonel researched whether there was any precedent allowing the deployed uniform to be worn at home station, comparing it with the Friday tradition of wearing heritage patches, and pitched the idea up the chain of command.

Colonel LaCharite deployed right after 9-11 to Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, and spent three years deployed the majority of the time to the AOR.
"We didn't have any formal recognition ceremony planned because of our increased operations tempo and finite resources," Colonel LaCharite said. "This was just a small way to show everybody here our continuing contributions to the war against terror."

Noting our primary mission is to graduate the world's best pilots and only secondarily to deploy our Airmen, the colonel said allowing our Airmen to don the uniforms they've worn deployed as individuals makes it easy for everyone to look around the base and see just how many have had a hand in combating terror.

"A large number of our Airmen have not had the opportunity to deploy because they're still in the accession pipeline," Colonel LaCharite said. "Seeing their more seasoned fellow Airmen in desert uniforms serves to bring it home to them--to etch it into their minds just what they've signed up for and remind them how critical their service and sacrifice is to our nation."

47th Operations Group commander Col. Martin Schans couldn't agree more. "We're a nation at war, and it can be easily forgotten by many in mainstream America since the combat is in such a faraway region, and they haven't been asked to sacrifice as much," the colonel said. "In the U.S. military, however, we are actively engaged whether forward deploying our Airmen to the AOR, or training the next generation of Air Warriors." The F-15C Eagle pilot, who flew combat sorties during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH in 2001 said wearing the desert uniforms was a great reminder of who we are as Airmen and what we're doing each and every day.