Panama Grad Helps Keep Baltic Air Sovereign
By Michael Tolzmann, Special to The Post-JournalArticle Photos
Fact Box
''I'm an F-15C pilot and it's my job to fly the Baltic air policing mission my unit is here to perform.''
Captain Andrew Carlson
U.S. Air Force
SIAULIAI, Lithuania - The son of an Ashville couple understands how fighter jets, ready at a moment's notice, make up a vital element in national defense - particularly since the Sept. 11 terror attacks in America.
Similarly, thousands of miles away, NATO protects the skies above European allied nations, including three Baltic Sea nations - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. With a three-month mission that rotates between nine NATO nations, fighter jets are patrolling and policing the skies above these nations, members of the alliance since 2004.
Air Force Capt. Andrew J. Carlson, son of Jeffrey D. and Mary B. Carlson of Baker Street, Ashville, is serving in Lithuania. His unit is supporting NATO's air policing mission with four U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle fighter jets, ensuring the air sovereignty of these allied nations.
Carlson is a member of the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, which is regularly located at a base in England - Royal Air Force Lakenheath.
''I'm an F-15C pilot and it's my job to fly the Baltic air policing mission my unit is here to perform,'' said Carlson, a 1999 graduate of Panama Central School.
He went on to graduate in 2003 from the U.S. Air Force Academy located in Colorado Springs. In 2005 he obtained a master's degree in systems engineering at The George Washington University, Washington D.C.
Approximately 130 American airmen make up the unit - weathermen, crew chiefs, maintenance, communications and armament specialists. Air crews are on 24-hour standby, awaiting an alert. If an alert is given, teams consisting of pilots and crew chiefs, sprint out to the jets and prepare for launch. The F-15s are typically airborne within five to 10 minutes.
The pilots and crews rotate shifts to maintain the around-the-clock alert status. When away from the fighter jets during free time, airmen like Carlson have made their own impressions of this nation that was once a part of the Soviet Union, and in the 14th Century the largest country in Europe.
''From my experiences here, the Lithuanians are very friendly people. I've had the privilege of giving tours to the pilots of the Lithuanian Air Force of our F-15Cs,'' Carlson said.
The unit and its members continued to be on alert through the holidays.
''Actually, I have the privilege of heading back to the states for Christmas. I'll be in Portland, Ore., where I'll be getting married,'' Carlson said last month.
Although Carlson is well-suited for this special assignment, he has a traditional military background.
''I've been stationed in England for close to two years. I've been a part of the military since I entered the Air Force Academy in 1999,'' Carlson said.
Thousands of miles away, airmen like Carlson are standing ready at a moment's notice to protect the lands of a people who today are a part of an alliance that formed to protect each member nation.
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MISSCHAUT
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01-12-09 7:09 AM
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What a great story on a local man.
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