In a little corner of the Portland International Airport big things are quietly happening.

There, outside the hustle and bustle of the airport’s main terminal, the 1,000+ employees of the 142nd Fighter Wing are confidently — and almost silently — carrying out their mission, with the power of pride and the mighty F-15.

As part of the Office of Homeland Defense and a unit in the Oregon Air National Guard, the mission of the Redhawks of the 142nd is to guard the skies of the Pacific Northwest, from northern California to the Canadian border. On 24-hour alert as part of the North
American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, the 142nd flies F-15 A and B fighter jets and is considered a vital asset to the Air Combat Command and the Air Expeditionary Force structures. In addition to keeping the skies over their portion of the West Coast safe, the pilots and planes of the 142nd participate around the globe supporting drug interdiction and USAFE air defense.

The unit’s personnel have offered support operations over Iraq in recent years for Operation Northern Watch in Turkey and Southern Watch in Saudi Arabia. However, at the time of this writing, the Pentagon had not yet called for the 142nd’s F-15s in the war in Iraq, although on a daily basis 60 people are deployed in small groups.

“We are experts at flying the F-15, supporting the F-15, and providing air-to-air protection to fighter jet strike packages,” said Lt. Col. Kyle Hook, who has been in the Oregon Air National Guard since 1992 and with the Redhawks since 1997. “That’s what we do best. And we are the best at it because every day we practice our maneuvers and our skills. One could equate us to athletes. For instance, Michael Jordan knows how to play basketball, but he has to practice every day in order to be good and to get better. We need to do the same thing.”

When one set of pilots and jets are going through their paces, the 142nd has another completely different set of pilots and aircraft who are on the ground. This second group is on 24-hour alert every day of the year.

“They are ready to go at anytime,” Lt. Col. Hook explained. “NORAD owns those jets and if they see any problems on their radar between Canada and San Francisco, they send us out. So, the mission, really involves two separate things.”

Although the pilots execute the mission of the 142nd, there are many more people who make the mission of the Redhawks possible. The mechanics, finance professionals, security police and weapons experts all contribute to the dynamic of the unit.

Their dedication to professionalism and perfection is so intense and so well maintained that the 142nd has not had a Class A Mishap in 60,000 hours of flying. That’s 14 years of jets taking off and landing safely and people doing their jobs right in between.

The 142nd Fighter Wing, which was established in 1941, is the only Air National Guard unit that has achieved such an honor. And although the pilots, who tend to be a superstitious lot, were reluctant to celebrate this milestone, the 142nd stopped long enough at the end of February to acknowledge their achievement.

“This is really about doing our jobs right every single day,” said Lt. Col. Hook. “Not just when the General is visiting. Not just when you have a big inspection or when somebody is coming by to look at you. It is doing the job every single day with the right procedures. We all depend on each other to be the expert in their little area. The mechanics are dependent on the pilots and the pilots are dependent on the mechanics. And then there are engine experts, radar experts and on and on.”

The 142nd has instituted a system of checks and balances to ensure that the string of 60,000 mishap-free hours continues. For instance, if a jet lands with hydraulic problems, a hydraulic expert is brought in to do the job. Because aviation is so unforgiving, another hydraulic expert, one on a higher level, double-checks the work done. That person initials the work and then signs his name that the jet is repaired and ready to go.

“The 60,000 mishap free hours is really about all of our personnel doing the right thing, not cutting corners, every single day for the last 14 years,” Lt. Col. Hook said. “That’s what makes it an amazing feat. It is a system of individuals that makes that work.”

Lt. Col. Hook was quick to point out that the men and women of the 142nd Fighter Wing are doing their jobs. There are deployments and tours of duty to places around the world that involve taking their F-15s fighter jets on the road. And yet, the people of the 142nd maintain the highest standards of performance and safety, even in unfamiliar territory.

And that might not always be so easy, especially during a deployment. The 142nd flies the F-15 aircraft, both A and B. According to Lt. Col. Hook, these jets are extremely complex flying machines that are continually being changed and updated. “We get constant upgrades to our jets,” he said. “And although these are some of the oldest aircraft around, they are still the finest air-to-air aircraft in the world. They are beautiful airplanes.”

Although individuals from the 142nd have been activated and deployed to various locations throughout the world, the entire unit has not been called upon to join their fellow reservists in the war on terrorism. But that doesn’t mean that the personnel of the 142nd are not feeling the heat.

“We are prepared to do whatever we are called to do,” Lt. Col. Hook said. “And the Wing has gone to many of these places already. We have been to Turkey, we have been to Saudi Arabia. And sure, there is some anticipation. If we are called, we are prepared and we will go and do the job that we have been doing every single day.We may do what we do here in Portland in some other country or some other part of the country, but it’s the
same job.”

According to Lt. Col. Hook, the biggest impact on the men and women of the 142nd who are faced with the possibility of war is the fact that they will have to be away from their families for an unknown and extended period of time.

“We’re not sure if and where we are going but we have total confidence that we will be able to do our jobs,” Lt. Col. Hook proclaimed.

Being deployed to unfamiliar territory, away from family and friends, is hard for any activated reservist. It will be particularly hard for the men and women of the 142nd. Many of the unit’s personnel are married and have children who all wear the battle dress and unit crest of the 142nd. That family-oriented foundation is one of the things that makes the 142nd formidable.

“We really are like one big family,” said MSgt. Gary Stroh, whose daughter, Raina, recently joined the 142nd. “We spend as much time with each other — sometimes more time — as we do with our families away from work. Unlike the regular military (personnel) who get different orders and are shipped out every three or four years, we have people that spend their entire careers right here.”

“Here, at the 142nd, we really are just one big huge family,” said Raina. “We look out for each other and when it comes down to it there is a unity here.”

“The Guard is such a big family,” said Stroh’s wife, Andrea, who is the family support person for the 142nd.

“I can’t put enough emphasis on that fact. That no matter what, we are here for each other.”

Stroh, was quick to point out that the personnel of the 142nd can’t let their closeness — or their family ties — cloud their mission. Stroh, who volunteered to serve in Desert Storm in the early ’90s, would offer his services again today to assist in the United States’ war on terrorism.

“I love serving my country,” said Stroh. “I would go tomorrow if they called me.

“We are doing what we’re asked to do,” Lt. Col. Hook added. “We are doing the mission. When people ask Portland, ‘we need F-15s here,’ we go. And we are very proud of that. That’s what makes the 142nd Fighter Wing so special. People here will do whatever it takes to get the job done and done right.”