The Yankees of Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 452 have been flying missions throughout the Persian Gulf and into Iraq since February. For one of the squadron's KC-130 crews, the day of April 13 started like any other day, with a mission that included the transport of six pallets of cargo to an airstrip just outside Baghdad.
The crew was "wheels up" at about 1 p.m. from an expeditionary airfield in Kuwait. The crew was airborne for 15 minutes and turned back, just before crossing into Iraq, to obtain the proper clearance to cross the border.
Five minutes later, the mission had changed. On arrival in Iraq, the Yankees would take on seven passengers: American prisoners of war taken by the Iraqis on March 23 and 24.
In Kuwait, the crew gained the proper access codes to cross the border, and medical personnel also boarded the aircraft. The excitement of the mission filled the KC-130 transport plane.
"I was first and foremost glad that they had been rescued," said VMGR-452 pilot Maj. Bill Holmes, 34, from Atlanta, Ga. "I was amazed that our crew would have the opportunity to fly them to freedom. There was not much time to think about it; Iraq is still a dangerous place and we had to concentrate on the flight into the country."
Marines from 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion rescued the seven soldiers earlier that morning. The Marines received a tip that Americans may be detained in one of the homes in the town of Sammara, Iraq. After house-to-house searches, the seven POW(s) were found in the home of an Iraqi police officer.
"I was extremely happy for them," said co-pilot Maj. Charlie Miles, 33, from Eugene, Ore. "They were so excited to be getting out of Iraq and very grateful to our crew. It actually brought tears to my eyes to imagine what they had been through and for it all to be over. I was very proud to have a role in helping them."
The Marines of VMGR-452 include active duty and reserve Marines. They are based out of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., and support Operation Iraqi Freedom. They transport necessary supplies, cargo, and mail into hostile areas to Marines conducting combat missions.
"It was a very rewarding flight, the biggest flight of my career in fact," said Miles. I didn't do anything special, but I was part of something special. I'm glad I was able to bring them one step closer to home and their loved ones."
Holmes, a pilot for 11 years said he was relieved they were safe. "Several of them kept saying, 'we love the Marines.' One Apache pilot, with tears streaming down his face, said he had given up and thought he would never see his family again. He hugged the entire crew. Before the flight, I walked through the back of the aircraft and told them it would be about a 45-minute flight and it might be a bit bumpy. They did not seem to care. They all just smiled and said, 'Thank you.'"
There are 64 reserve and 96 active duty Marines with VMGR-452. The KC-130 Hercules squadron has flown 1,672 flight hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.