Ordered to return to the ship by the AWACS after dropping all of his bombs, Lt Sidbury told everybody—including a rear admiral and a USAF general—”No”” because the guys on the ground were still taking fire
The F-14 Tomcat played a pivotal role in the early stages of the Global War on Terror, spearheading the first manned air strikes against targets in Afghanistan in October 2001. These powerful fighter-bombers, launched from aircraft carriers positioned in the Northern Arabian Sea off the coast of Pakistan, conducted extensive six- to eight-hour missions that provided critical air support for Special Forces and Northern Alliance troops battling the Taleban and al-Qaeda.
After 9/11 terrorist attacks, Fighter Squadron 211 (VF-211) deployed with Carrier Air Wing Nine aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), in an accelerated schedule that had the Fighting Checkmates aircraft flying combat missions over Afghanistan by December. The squadron distinguished itself during Operation Enduring Freedom, particularly during the three-week Operation Anaconda, where they conducted round-the-clock sorties to protect coalition forces and neutralize al-Qaeda resistance.
As told by Tony Holmes in his book F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Enduring Freedom, VF-211’s most memorable day of fighting in OEF occurred on Mar. 4, 2002, after a SOF team was ambushed soon after dawn as they attempted to insert themselves on the ridgeline of Takur Ghar. They were heading for Objective Ginger, which had a commanding view of the entire Shah-i-Kot Valley, but al-Qaeda forces in hardened, camouflaged bunkers shot up their MH-47E just as it landed and forced the helicopter to hastily leave—crucially without Navy SEAL PO Neil Roberts.
When word reached Bagram that a soldier was missing behind enemy lines, an Army Ranger quick reaction unit scrambled in two more MH-47Es. When the first of these touched down 50 meters from the top of Takur Ghar, the enemy again targeted the helicopter and shot it down through a combination of rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire. Four crewmen died and others were wounded, and survivors set up defensive positions just 150 meters from one of the snow-covered al-Qaeda hunkers. They were eventually rescued at 2000 hrs, having relied exclusively on CAS support to keep the enemy at bay. Their combat controller, USAF Capt Gabe Brown (call-sign ‘Slick 01’), later told his superiors that he had handled 30 CAS sorties that day. Flying one of the jets near Takur Char was VF-211 pilot Lt Dan Buchar.
`Shortly alter dawn, I launched as part of a division of four F-14s sent into Afghanistan in support of Anaconda, having been briefed to head to the Shah-i-Kot Valley to help troops in contact as they continued to battle with enemy forces. As we headed north, the SOF MH-47E was shot down near Objective Ginger. Shortly after that, our division lead, Lt Larry Sidbury, got a call from “Bossman” [the USAF airborne AWACS] telling him that our bombs were needed straight away. We had to refuel first, however, so each jet quickly topped off its tanks and then headed independently to the target area.
‘Lt Sidbury and his RIO, Cdr Tim Fitzpatrick, who were both FAC(A)-qualified, reached Takur Ghar first and made contact with “Slick 01”. The latter was pinned down near the wreckage of the MH-47 along with the survivors of the Army Ranger quick reaction unit. Lt Sidbury and his wingman, Lt Bryan Roberts, worked directly with “Slick 01”, and they dropped ordnance within 500 metres of the friendlies.
`Ordered to return to the ship by the AWACS after dropping all of his bombs, Lt Sidbury told everybody – including a rear admiral and a USAF general – “No” because the guys in the ground were still taking fire. He got the point where he turned his radios off, thus blocking out the distraction of the “return to base” calls. Eventually relieved on station, Lt Sidbury somehow made it to the tanker before running out of fuel and recovered aboard CVN-74.
`His CO was still flying at the time, but his X0 started grilling him about why he had ignored the calls to return. At this point CAG stormed into the ready room and started to tear strips of Lt Sidbury for disobeying a direct order. A few minutes later the admiral also walked in, and everybody immediately stood to attention. His first words to Lt Sidbury were, “That’s the best thing I ever saw. Don’t you ever do Any-thing different”!’
F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Enduring Freedom is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by: U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force
