Chance deployment, from refueling to recon, gives pilot greater appreciation of war’s ‘bigger picture’ (Part 2)

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  This is the second of a two-part story about a pilot from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, and his experiences during a recent deployment to Afghanistan.

Part 2: Harsh realities of war ...

When the opportunity arose for a deployment in Afghanistan flying a different type of aircraft and directly supporting ground troops, Capt. Robert Madson, 351st Air Refueling Wing Squadron, jumped at the chance.

Madson supported many Soldiers and special forces Service members, and joint terminal attack controllers were his link to the ground forces.

"The JTACs often came to our compound, and I got to work with them on a one-on-one basis."
Knowing JTACs personally made tragedy difficult to deal with.

Madson expressed how tough it was to lose people he worked closely with, and on the occasion it happened, it felt like they'd lost one from their own unit.

The pilot said he had many memorable experiences during his deployment, the most sobering of which was when a helicopter was shot down with U.S. Airmen, Soldiers and Navy SEALS on board.

"There were guys recovering the (fallen Service members) and we (the MC-12 crew) were in charge of all the aircraft which were over-watching them," he said. We provided the protection for them, making sure nobody was sneaking up on them while the bodies were being recovered. At night, we had fighter jets right circling around with us, in case anything happened."

"Another night, we followed some guys who looked like they were doing suspicious activities," said Madson. "They got in their car and we followed them up the mountains, where they went into what appeared to be a cave. We then marked that point, and for the next week or so, other aircraft from our squadron continued to survey the area."

Madson said over the course of the next week, they saw lots of people carrying what appeared to be weapons, going in and out of what was later found to be a cave complex. A team on the ground was sent in, and over the course of about three days, a lot of bombs were dropped.

"Unfortunately, we lost one American in the attack; but there were 96 enemies killed in action over the course of those three days," he said.

Such experiences were new to Madson, who said he normally supports the war fighters in another way.

"As a tanker pilot, (all I generally know is) I'm just giving some guys some gas. Before this, I didn't know what happens with that gas, or how they actually use it to support those guys on the ground. Now I have better situational awareness of what's actually happening," he said, adding that the deployment opened his eyes.

"It gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of how war is waged, about individual pieces - the Air Force and aircraft - the roles that they play, and how it all ties together," he said. "I wouldn't give up that experience for anything.

He said he became a better pilot and a better officer because of it.

"Whenever we left our compound to go fly, we'd see a big sign over the door, stating 'This is your mission,' said Madson. "It showed a picture of a (young) guy on the ground - because that's who we were ultimately protecting. We were going out there, making sure that guy came home safe."

Madson made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the 351st ARS, according to Lt. Col. Thomas Torkelson, 351st ARS commander.

"His desire to contribute tangibly to today's fight was easy to see, and the MC-12 experience represented a unique opportunity for him to do just that external to the KC-135 community," Torkelson said. "He selflessly volunteered for the lengthy deployment, then offered his first-hand experiences to interested pilots behind him.

"Although he performed admirably in a non-permissive environment during his deployment, we are extremely grateful to have Capt. Madson back home and back in the tanker where we selfishly believe he belongs," the 351st ARS commander said.