Stars and Stripes:
CHANIA, Greece — U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Duval has spent the past two years with his finger on the button, waiting for the chance to push.
On Thursday, he finally got that chance, firing a Patriot missile high over the Mediterranean Sea during a rare live-fire drill aimed at testing the skills of U.S. and German Patriot crews.
“You can feel it; the van shakes,” said Duval, a tactical control assistant with the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, out of Fort Bliss, Texas. “It is breathtaking.”
Operation Rapid Arrow, held on the Greek Island of Crete, ended Thursday with smoke, fire and a series of jarring bangs. U.S. and German troops launched about 30 missiles.
For U.S. air defense soldiers, the chance to fire one of the Army’s multimillion-dollar Patriot missiles is a rare privilege and one that can elude even the most experienced of Patriot gunners for a whole career.
For those who sit inside the three-man van, known as an “engagement control station,” endless hours are spent rehearsing and war-gaming. They read high-tech, 3-D-like screens, distinguishing friend from foe, harmless aircraft from ballistic missiles.
Yet for all the hours of practice and simulated fire, there’s always the lingering question: Will the missile really work?
“We train these air battles every day, and I have total confidence in the system,” said Spc. Jacob Maxwell, a tactical control assistant with the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, out of Baumholder, Germany, who took part in his first live fire. “But actually doing it gives you that extra notch of confidence.”
For many of the soldiers, what stands out most about firing a Patriot for the first time is the sound.
“It’s a thump,” said Maxwell.
“You push the button and feel so much power going off,” added Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Retig, a member of the German military’s SAM Wing 1, which was taking part in a NATO Patriot certification.
Patriot is a long-range air defense system capable of intercepting incoming ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and high-flying aircraft. The system, which has been in U.S. service since the 1980s, has been continuously upgraded, and its prime mission today is anti-missile defense.
Rapid Arrow marked the first time since 2008 that the U.S. has fired Patriots at the NATO Missile Firing Installation in Crete, the only site in Europe where the missile can be fired.
U.S. Army leaders say they hope to conduct more regular training at the site, coordinating with allies such as the Netherlands and Germany, which also have advanced Patriot systems…
