Fort Bliss Monitor

Sgt. Paula Taylor

Kiowa pilot, 1st Lt. Lori Bigger, platoon leader, B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, conducts radio checks during her preflight inspection of the OH-58 helicopter on Forward Operating Base, Marez Jan. 10. Bigger, a San Antonio native, has been flying for two years.

Air cavalry provides eyes
over battlefield in Mosul

Sgt. Paula Taylor
4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

MOSUL, Iraq – Soldiers of B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., who are now attached to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, have been taking to the skies to provide eyes in the air for ground troops.

One of those troopers is 1st Lt. Lori Bigger, platoon leader and OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilot from San Antonio. Bigger, a quick thinker who has been flying in the Army for two years, said she is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment, keeping accountability of six pilots and six crew chiefs and assisting the commander in day-to-day operations.

“I’m just one member on a team, flying missions over the city. I enjoy the people I work with. A lot of them have strong personalities and are self-starters. There’s a lot of knowledge these guys bring to the table.”

Bigger said there are many times when being able to think quickly has come in handy while she’s flying missions.

“You have to keep an open mind, said Bigger. “You’re always learning something new up there. Once you start to feel comfortable, things will change. You have to be able to change your tactics to stay one step ahead of the enemy. A lot of what we do is unplanned and off-the-hip. The mission can change quickly. You may be providing convoy security and get a call that someone is taking on fire and have to go cover them.”

The missions the troop has been flying are a key factor in helping to keep the Soldiers, who are operating within the city, safe.

“We are providing air surveillance and security in support of the ground units,” said Bigger. “We try to look for unusual activities. We are also a deterrent because when the ground forces are taking on fire and we come into the area, the engagement pretty much ceases and the firing stops. At that point, we try to see if there is anyone leaving the area or if there are cars moving away at a high rate of speed.”

If B Troop pilots see insurgents or insurgent activities, they can relay that information to the ground commander so he can reposition his Soldiers, if necessary, she said.
Another of the benefits to having the air surveillance teams is they can get a wide-angle view from above of what’s happening, unlike the commander down below who is right on top of the action, said Bigger.

“We can help the ground commander have situational awareness of his people so he can move them as he needs to.”
Bigger’s unit has been operating around the Mosul area for about six months now, she said, and are conducting 24-hour operations. “The troop as a whole will fly about 900 hours each month,” she added.

Keeping the helicopters up and running are the crew chiefs who work in 12-hour shifts. “We maintain the aircraft so the pilots can support the missions,” said Sgt. Jeremy Wendt, crew chief shift supervisor, and Napoleon, Ohio, resident. “If there are any maintenance problems, or issues that come up as a result of being attacked outside the FOB, we fix them. We’re running 24-hour-a-day ops here. Any time we have birds in the air, we have someone here working on them. We’ve got our guys working non-stop.”

Wendt said he is proud of his crew and hopes the families back home feel the same way.
“I’m really proud of the work that we’re doing, how hard we’re doing it and how fast-paced we’re working. The missions the pilots are going out on – putting themselves in harm’s way – and the maintainers being able to keep up that op-tempo is impressive. I’m very proud of the mission and everyone back home should be proud. We have an important mission to support the units out there on the ground,” he said.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	Jan. 18, 2007

	Sgt. Paula Taylor Kiowa pilot, 1st Lt. Lori Bigger, platoon leader, B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, conducts radio checks during her preflight inspection of the OH-58 helicopter on Forward Operating Base, Marez Jan. 10. Bigger, a San Antonio native, has been flying for two years. Air cavalry provides eyes over battlefield in Mosul Sgt. Paula Taylor 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs MOSUL, Iraq – Soldiers of B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., who are now attached to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, have been taking to the skies to provide eyes in the air for ground troops. One of those troopers is 1st Lt. Lori Bigger, platoon leader and OH-58 Kiowa helicopter pilot from San Antonio. Bigger, a quick thinker who has been flying in the Army for two years, said she is responsible for the maintenance of the equipment, keeping accountability of six pilots and six crew chiefs and assisting the commander in day-to-day operations. “I’m just one member on a team, flying missions over the city. I enjoy the people I work with. A lot of them have strong personalities and are self-starters. There’s a lot of knowledge these guys bring to the table.” Bigger said there are many times when being able to think quickly has come in handy while she’s flying missions. “You have to keep an open mind, said Bigger. “You’re always learning something new up there. Once you start to feel comfortable, things will change. You have to be able to change your tactics to stay one step ahead of the enemy. A lot of what we do is unplanned and off-the-hip. The mission can change quickly. You may be providing convoy security and get a call that someone is taking on fire and have to go cover them.” The missions the troop has been flying are a key factor in helping to keep the Soldiers, who are operating within the city, safe. “We are providing air surveillance and security in support of the ground units,” said Bigger. “We try to look for unusual activities. We are also a deterrent because when the ground forces are taking on fire and we come into the area, the engagement pretty much ceases and the firing stops. At that point, we try to see if there is anyone leaving the area or if there are cars moving away at a high rate of speed.” If B Troop pilots see insurgents or insurgent activities, they can relay that information to the ground commander so he can reposition his Soldiers, if necessary, she said. Another of the benefits to having the air surveillance teams is they can get a wide-angle view from above of what’s happening, unlike the commander down below who is right on top of the action, said Bigger. “We can help the ground commander have situational awareness of his people so he can move them as he needs to.” Bigger’s unit has been operating around the Mosul area for about six months now, she said, and are conducting 24-hour operations. “The troop as a whole will fly about 900 hours each month,” she added. Keeping the helicopters up and running are the crew chiefs who work in 12-hour shifts. “We maintain the aircraft so the pilots can support the missions,” said Sgt. Jeremy Wendt, crew chief shift supervisor, and Napoleon, Ohio, resident. “If there are any maintenance problems, or issues that come up as a result of being attacked outside the FOB, we fix them. We’re running 24-hour-a-day ops here. Any time we have birds in the air, we have someone here working on them. We’ve got our guys working non-stop.” Wendt said he is proud of his crew and hopes the families back home feel the same way. “I’m really proud of the work that we’re doing, how hard we’re doing it and how fast-paced we’re working. The missions the pilots are going out on – putting themselves in harm’s way – and the maintainers being able to keep up that op-tempo is impressive. I’m very proud of the mission and everyone back home should be proud. We have an important mission to support the units out there on the ground,” he said.