National news channel films at Holloman

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sondra Escutia
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A production crew from the Fox News Channel, including retired U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North, visited Feb. 18 to wrap up a documentary on the Air Force's Remotely Piloted Aircraft mission.

The crew met with members of the 849th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to coordinate screen shots in front of the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper for Mr. North's documentary series, "War Stories with Oliver North."

Mr. North, a decorated Marine and award-winning author, said he was inspired to document the RPA mission because he has seen the magnitude of its capabilities first-hand.

"I've spent a lot of time in places like Afghanistan and Iraq and other spots out there. I've seen the ground effects of these [aircraft]," said Mr. North. "The idea for this story comes from those experiences."

The FNC crew began their quest to tell the RPA story in Afghanistan six months ago, and has since traveled around the U.S. to discover the ins and outs of the Reaper and Predator program, including those who design, produce and control the aircraft. One stop in their journey was Creech AFB, Nev., where they saw the operational side of program, and the four RPA squadrons here offered them a look at the training side.

"We're here to document, for the American people, the remarkable people that make all this happen -- this high-tech addition to the battlefield that gives us such an edge, that saves the lives of Americans in places like Afghanistan and others in places like Haiti," said the retired Marine.

One of the project coordinators, Maj. Doug Warren, 849th AMXS, said he was proud to help Mr. North and the FNC crew tell the story.

"The guys like seeing that," said Major Warren. "They like seeing the attention that the weapon system gathers and they like seeing the fact that -- here is Oliver North, talking war stories, about how this aircraft impacts the effort in Afghanistan."

Kelly Guernica, the associate producer of "War Stories with Oliver North," said the hospitality of the base personnel made it "a lot easier to be able to show people a little bit about what the military does and the kind of work and dedication it takes to do this type of job."

The 849th AMXS maintains MQ-1 and MQ-9 aircraft and equipment in support of worldwide expeditionary operations, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan, to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the troops on the ground.

The motivation behind the RPA documentary was ultimately summed up with a statement from Mr. North while shooting a closing scene -- "Theirs is a war story that deserves to be told."

The documentary is scheduled to air on FNC between the end of March and beginning of April.