Soldiers welcomed home with an airplane-filled sky

FORT DRUM — Capt. Johnnie "Dusty" Green goes over every detail of his flight plan with his crew before hitting the airfield.

"About 10 minutes prior to getting in the aircraft, I'll sit in the car and focus on the routine in my head," he said. "Cover all the details because I don't want to do anything on the fly up there."

Capt. Green, a pilot with the East Coast A-10 Demonstration Team, did just that Saturday afternoon and will repeat it today, the second day of the 2009 Mountainfest Air Show. He and his team of four are based out of Moody Air Force Base in Georgia and tour the East Coast performing at air shows.

The A-10 is far from a beautiful, sleek aircraft — it is, after all, nicknamed "The Warthog." However, it is revered for its combat capabilities. Production began 30 years ago and since then, the A-10 has been involved in every U.S. combat operation around the world. The plane provides close air support for ground troops and is heavily used in Afghanistan.

"This is my first performance at an Army base, and it's really nice," said Capt. Green before a training flight Friday afternoon. "I've deployed overseas three times to Afghanistan, and I've worked really closely with the Army guys. The A-10 is highly regarded by the Army because we are out there on the battlefield and we try to integrate with the units on the ground as much as we can."

Capt. Green wasn't the only one looking forward to the air show Saturday. Thousands of visitors roamed the tarmac at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield and took turns climbing aboard a Blackhawk helicopter, a C-5 military transport plane and a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. Thousands more packed the metal bleachers that lined the runway waiting for the first air act to begin.

"I brought my grandson, whose mom is in the Air Force. He is obsessed with helicopters and planes," said Jeffrey T. Blackford, LaFargeville. His grandson, Riley J. Olson, 2, sat in a stroller and held a foam helicopter. "He's always seen planes in the air, never on the ground, so this is real neat for him."

Many who attended Saturday had gone last year and were thankful the weather was more cooperative, providing sunshine and scattered clouds.

"Last year we got stuck in the rain and had to dive under the tents that almost blew away," said Amy B. Thorn of Watertown. "This year is much nicer, and we are hoping to get some good pictures of us in the planes and of the show."

The official welcome home ceremony for 1,000 soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division Special Troops Battalion was also held Saturday morning. Gov. David A. Paterson, who flew in from Albany for the event, said he was keeping a promise he made to the soldiers when he visited them in Iraq at Christmas.

"You are heroes among us, that look just like us and are from the same weave as us," he said. "We often feel this distance from them, knowing we can barely offer them what they rightly deserve. Yet, here at Fort Drum, they are able to do that. We don't see the soldiers as being distant. We see them as neighbors, and we are so glad to have them back today."

Col. Joseph J. Dichairo, chief of staff for the 10th Mountain Division, echoed those thoughts. He said it was important to celebrate the homecoming with the community at large. While deployed for 15 months to southern Iraq, the unit helped train Iraqi security forces and helped Iraqi army and police get to the point where they are responsible for their own security.

"I think in our sector, what we saw in a year was their preparedness improve significantly," Col. Dichairo said. "They still need some help in their logistics arena and maintenance arena, but in terms of the way their police and army were working to secure their cities, it's my opinion that they are right on track in continuing to secure themselves."

The gates open at 9 a.m. today, and the first air act is schedule to start at 11:30 a.m. Visitors can access the airfield from Route 26 or County Route 29. The event is free and open to the public.