This illustration depicts aircraft B-52G 0248. Although the image is too small to read clearly, the nose art shows the nickname “In Harms [sic] Way.”
Back in 1991, on the first night of Operation Desert Storm, an F-4G Wild Weasel fired an AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile at B-52G 0248. The Wild Weasel crew mistook the B-52’s radar-controlled tail gun for an unknown ground-based Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery site.
Fortunately, the HARM missile failed to make a direct hit. Instead, it detonated behind the bomber.
HARM Missiles Make Lousy Anti-Aircraft Weapons
The AGM-88 HARM missile was never designed to target aircraft. It was built to strike stationary ground-based radar systems. When a HARM missile senses is moving, it detonates automatically.
In this case, the resulting shrapnel and debris caused extensive damage to the tail section of aircraft 0248, tearing away everything aft of the vertical stabilizer. This included much of the tail gun system, the aft electronic warfare suite, and the drag chute.
Despite the severe damage, the B-52 managed to land safely in Saudi Arabia.
The Air Force eventually sent aircraft 0248 to Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) in Guam for repair. I participated in its restoration.
Guam: My Favorite Place in the World
This wasn’t my first time at Andersen AFB. I was stationed there from 1988 to 1990 as a member of the 43rd Organizational Maintenance Squadron (OMS). We worked on the B-52G aircraft assigned to the 43rd Bomb Wing, and I served in the Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) shop.
In 1990, the Air Force selected the 43rd Bomb Wing for deactivation. I remember losing our aircraft almost immediately, but the personnel couldn’t be reassigned as quickly. Most of us spent months without a real job.
I was lucky. They made me the nighttime dorm chief. From 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM, I sat at a desk in our dorm’s dayroom, letting people into their rooms when they were locked out. One of my main duties was distributing free toilet paper rolls to anyone in need.
I spent an excessive amount of time reading Dragonlance novels and playing Tetris. To the best of my recollection, I worked two days on and one day off on a seven-day rotation.
It was a sweet gig. All things considered, I’m sure there were worse things I could have been doing.
Eventually, the Air Force assigned me to Griffiss AFB in central New York, where I reported for duty in July 1990. Unfortunately, I was no longer working directly on B-52s. Instead, I was assigned to the 416th Intermediate Level Maintenance Squadron (ILMS) ECM avionics shop. It was responsible for repairing Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) removed from B-52 aircraft, not only at Griffiss AFB, but at other B-52 bases as well.
Compared to working on the actual planes, I hated it.
The Iraq War 1.0
On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. As soon as the Air Force began deploying personnel from Griffiss in support of Operation Desert Shield, I started volunteering to go. I had spent my first five years in the Air Force overseas, constantly training for war. Then, as soon as I was assigned stateside, things suddenly got real-world serious. It didn’t seem fair.
Our shop sent five or six people to Guam to work in the ECM shop there. Even though I volunteered to go, I was not selected. As I was new to working in the shop, there wasn’t much I could do. At the time, I was only working on the control boxes for the AN/ALQ-155 electronic warfare system. I was assigned to the ALQ-155 shop upon reporting to the 416th ILMS. The reason? At Griffiss AFB, they called the ALQ-155 “ROTs.” It stood for “Receiver Oscillator Transmitter.” My last name is Rottman. Showing up there with “ROT” in my name seemed like a message from God.
Finally, in November, I got my chance. My shop chief called me. He needed to volunteer someone to deploy in support of Operation Desert Shield. I suspect he chose me because I’d been pestering him for nearly three months to send me to Desert Shield. He admitted he didn’t even know where I’d be going, only that he needed a volunteer.
Back to Guam
It turned out I was going back to Guam. I was replacing someone our shop sent in back in August. He was returning to Griffiss because his mother was ill. Supposedly. At least that’s what the Red Cross said.
When I arrived at Andersen AFB, I learned I wouldn’t be working in the avionics shop like the person I replaced. Instead, I was assigned to the group performing phase maintenance on B-52s deployed at Diego Garcia, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. I was attached to the 1500th Strategic Wing (Provisional).
We were the only bomb wing in the Air Force without our own aircraft. Additionally, we were the only bomb wing commanded by a non-pilot. Our wing commander previously served as the 43rd Bomb Wing Maintenance Commander. I wish I could remember his name; he was a great leader. Looking back on my Air Force career, I mostly remember the names of the terrible supervisors and commanders I had. Not the good ones.