April 16, 2003: Final Report - "We launched in visibility that we would
never have launched in during peacetime, but we knew the troops on the
ground needed our support."
March 28, 2003: At the Front - "Some scenes from this conflict have been permanently etched into my memory -- Baghdad on the first night strike of the war is a sight I'll not soon forget. Flying toward a large metropolitan city the size of Detroit at night -- cultural lights spread wide, puncutated with a staccato and irregular pattern of explosions, muzzle flashes and surface to air missiles gracefully arcing upward."
I've known Captain Mark Fox, USN, for 12 years now. He is unquestionably one of the finest aviators in the United States military today. With his FA-18 Hornet, Mark was the first U.S. Navy pilot to shoot down a MiG over Iraq in 1991. As the Commander of Carrier Air Wing Two stationed on the venerable warship, the aircraft carrier USS Constellation, Captain Mark Fox is also one of the most seasoned and capable warriors leading the U.S. military air strikes which will ultimately free Iraq from the tyrannical rule of Saddam and his two diabolical sons.
I asked Captain Mark Fox if he would send some blurbs from the front to provide us with some unique insights from his perspective as both an operator and a leader to share with us his observations and thoughts from the front.
I am proud to call Captain Mark Fox a friend. And I am proud to present this series of "Blurbs from the Front" by Captain Mark Fox, USN, Commander,Carrier Air Wing Two, onboard the USS Constellation.
About
the Author
Captain Mark I. Fox, USN, a native of Texas, was commissioned in 1978 upon graduation from the Naval Academy. He earned his wings in March 1980.
Captain Fox has deployed nine times in five fleet tours (flying the A-7E Corsair II in Attack Squadron 72 aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and USS America (CV 66); flying the FA-18A/C Hornet in Strike Fighter Squadrons 132 and 81, aboard USS Coral Sea (CV 43), USS Saratoga (CV 60) and USS Enterprise (CVN 65); and flying every aircraft in Air Wing TWO as Air Wing Commander aboard USS Constellation (CV-64)).
Captain Fox flew in contingency operations off of Lebanon and Libya in the 1980s, over Bosnia and Iraq in the 1990s, and again over southern Iraq in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Captain Fox assumed command of Carrier Air Wing TWO in August 2001 after having served as Deputy Air Wing Commander. Concurrent with command of Carrier Air Wing TWO, he commanded the Strike Fighter Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, from October to November 2001. Captain Fox was the first CO of the Navy's first FA-18E/F Super Hornet squadron - the 'Flying Eagles' of Strike Fighter Squadron 122 - from 1998-2000, and was the 43rd Naval Aviator to fly the Super Hornet, participating in the successful Super Hornet Operational Test and Evaluation in 1999. He commanded the 'Sunliners' of VFA-81 from 1995-96.
In 1990-91, while assigned to VFA-81 in Air Wing 17, Captain Fox participated in Operations DESERT SHIELD/STORM aboard USS Saratoga (CV 60) and led 4 major strikes and flew 18 combat sorties.
On January 17th, 1991, then Lieutenant Commander Fox scored the U.S. Navy's first MiG kill of the Gulf War. Moments after shooting down the Iraqi MiG, he successfully delivered his bombs on a Iraqi airfield, validating - in just seconds - that the FA-18 Hornet was a true fighter/attack aircraft.
Captain Fox has logged over 4,600 flight hours and over 1,300 arrested landings on 13 different aircraft carriers. His personal awards include: the Silver Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, eight Air Medals (four individual Air Medals with Combat 'V' and four strike-flight awards), two Navy Commendation Medals (one with Combat 'V') and the Navy Achievement Medal.
