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 Tanker boom operator Amn. Charles Converse noted something different about the Dutch F-16 that slowly moved into place for a quick gas-and-go high above Afghanistan on 11 September. The pilot was proudly displaying the Stars and Stripes above the windscreen in his cockpit. The Dutch didn’t just put a flag in the aircraft, they put an American in it, too. Maj. Beau Rogers, a US exchange pilot with the Royal Netherlands Air Force, has been flying sorties out of Ganci AB, Kyrgyzstan, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom since early September. Stationed at Leeuwarden AB, one of three F-16 air bases in the Netherlands, Rogers rotates with Dutch pilots in the OEF area of responsibility. European F-16 units from Denmark, Netherlands, and Norway have been deployed to Ganci since October 2002. The remaining Dutch personnel are expected to redeploy home in October 2003. |
