In the fall of 2006 during the height of the Iraq War, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Amy Schlesing and I embedded with the 463rd Airlift Group out of Little Rock Air Base for a 6-week rotation at Balad Air Base. As the US Air Force moves towards more use of unmanned drones in combat zones and long C-17 flights from European bases to supply troops, the women and men that make up the crews and maintainers for the C-130 are a throwback to what they call the "old school" way of doing things. Despite continued advances in aircraft technology, there is still a place for the Hercules today.
Dan Hale - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
