D-M Airman reaches 2,000 combat hours

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachel Martinez
  • 455 Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  It took seven years and 15 deployments for one Airman here to reach a milestone few in his career field hit.

Tech. Sgt. Justin Jackson, a cryptologic linguist assigned to the 41st Expeditionary Combat Squadron here hit and surpassed 2,000 hours of combat flight in the EC-130H Compass Call.

"I would guess that only about 25 percent of my career field obtains this milestone," said the Colorado Springs, Colo. native. "But, I see this milestone as just another day on my career. The mission was just another mission, supporting our guys on the ground, doing what we can to help keep them safe."

Sergeant Jackson said that some people in his field have double, triple or quadruple the number of combat hours. The high number of combat hours is evidence of the relentless hard work performed by the men and women deployed in the area of operations. 

Sergeant Jackson's first combat sortie was in October of 2001 with the kick-off of Operation Enduring Freedom. Almost 200 sorties later, he is back doing the same mission - continuing to fight the insurgents.

"I think it is fitting to hit this milestone in the same airspace that I started - It kind of brings it full-circle," he said. "My first combat sortie scared me because I had no idea what to expect. This sortie was different because now I know what to expect when I get on the aircraft, and how to deal with the different issues that show up on missions."
Sergeant Jackson is deployed from the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

"The best part of my job is knowing that what I do has a direct impact on the guys on the ground," he said. "It either keeps them safe or just provides a way to put lead on targets."