Photo By Staff Sgt. Sabatino Dimascio | Senior Airman Natalie Vandergriff, Aerial Combat Cameraman, 1st Combat Camera...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Enlisted Aircrew Member Badge, commonly referred to as “wings”, is a qualification badge that distinguishes aircrew members throughout the U.S. Air Force. The badge features a pair of wings to signify aerial flight and a central coat of arms to symbolize loyalty and devotion.
Whether the wings are etched in white thread on a one-piece flight suit, or embroidered in the operational camouflage pattern’s familiar spice brown, one thing is for certain – the U.S. Airmen who earned them, display them with pride.
The men and women of the 1st Combat Camera Squadron aerial program who wear these wings are members of an elite team of aerial combat camera professionals serving in a unique non-career enlisted aviator capacity at Joint Base Charleston. Their expertise enables them to provide unparalleled perspectives that ground-based documentation cannot capture, generating advantages for a variety of missions.
“Our squadron’s aerial program is important because we’re the only public affairs entity that’s trained and authorized to document aerial operations in combat zones,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christian Sullivan, 1 CTCS aerial program operations noncommissioned officer in charge. “We get this authorization due to our Aviation Service Code 9 and Flying Status Code D, which is very different from the traditional public affairs aerial positions at most bases.”
To qualify as a 9D flyer, 1 CTCS Airmen must pass a series of physical and mental assessments, to include: medical clearances, aerial academics courses, aerospace physiology training, emergency egress procedures, aircrew flight equipment familiarization, qualification flights, and survival, evasion, resistance and escape training.
The training is imperative, as the aerial capabilities the 1 CTCS possesses are a critical component of its overall mission – to provide U.S. leaders with targeted information capabilities anytime, anywhere. With 50 established aerial positions within the squadron, flying has ingrained itself as a premier 1 CTCS specialty.
“The Air Force is moving towards a more aerial focused imagery requirement,” said Sullivan. “Most of our missions have become strictly aerial missions. And the ones that aren’t, still have an aerial component we’re able to send a flyer to support.”
Currently, the 1 CTCS is averaging about 2,000 flight hours, and supporting nearly 30 operations around the globe per fiscal year.
The demand for aerial imagery lies in its ability to provide real-time feedback on the success or failure of a mission which offers an essential asset for commanders both during and after operations.
A primary use of aerial imagery is after-action reports, which rely heavily on the documentation produced by the 1 CTCS. The ability to review detailed, real-time footage of missions is an invaluable resource for training, debriefing, and identifying areas for improvement in tactics, techniques, and procedures across the force.
“Simply put, imagery is a valuable form of information that can be used to create advantages throughout information environments,” said U.S. Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie, 1 CTCS aerial program training NCO. “Combat Camera’s aerial imagery plays a major role in our targeted information capabilities.”
Another common employment of aerial combat camera professionals is for humanitarian and disaster relief missions. During these operations, their goal is to document the relief efforts and provide situational awareness to commanders and news agencies.
The imagery captured during missions is also used for public affairs purposes to demonstrate the role and success of the Department of Defense, informing the public and maintaining transparency about military operations.
“While a good majority of our aerial imagery gets published and is distributed across media outlets and social media platforms, we also have a lot of missions where our photos and videos are strictly used by senior leaders for key decisions,” said Guthrie. “It all depends on what the needs of the Air Force are when we get the call to support.”
Several recent and notable 1 CTCS aerial missions include: Operations Allies Refuge, Operation Octave Quartz, Hurricane Michael relief efforts and the humanitarian aid response in Haiti.
“The age-old saying is true, ‘If there isn’t a photo, did it really happen?’,” said Master Sgt. Michael Cossaboom, 1 CTCS aerial program manager. “The Air Force is the world’s most dominant air power. Our imagery is more than just pretty photos, it contains information senior leaders need for strategic decisions across the DoD. So, it’s imperative that we continue to provide specially trained Airmen to take to the skies to get that imagery.”
From sensitive operations to global crises, the 1 CTCS aerial program remains dedicated and prepared to provide directed imagery capabilities across the globe, at any altitude, at a moment’s notice.
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 16:07 |
| Story ID: | 488024 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Why We Fly: 1 CTCS elevates targeted information capabilities, by SSgt Bailee Darbasie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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