March 31, 2020 Welcome Home, Josh Sullivan

The Liberty Gazette

March 31, 2020

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Liberty High School graduate Lt. Col. Josh Sullivan completed his last combat mission for the Air Force on March 19th, 2020. He is now home from his last deployment and will be starting a new chapter in his Air Force career. We got to chat with him about 24 hours after he arrived home.

We first met him at the Liberty Municipal Airport in 2007, just five months after starting our column. We knew right away we’d met a hero. After graduation, Josh received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. In flight training, he discovered he loved aerobatics and flying in tight formation with other aircraft. Both are important skills for combat flying.

Eventually, Josh entered the training program to fly the C-130. Ten years after serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was promoted to Lt. Colonel, serving in the Air Force Special Operations Command. Josh’s story appears in Volume 1 of Ely Air Lines: Select Stories from 10 Years of a Weekly Column, a copy of which you can pick up at the Liberty Gazette office.

Josh was last deployed as the Commander of the 16th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, a storied squadron going back to the days of Vietnam. They fly the AC-130W Stinger II gunship. The original moniker for this type of aircraft was “Puff the Magic Dragon” because it looked like it belched fire as it spit thousands of rounds a minute at the enemy. The Stinger II is far more advanced than those used in Vietnam. According to the Air Force’s fact sheet, the AC-130W is a heavily armed variant of the C-130H Hercules designed for close air support, armed reconnaissance, interdiction, night search and rescue, and airborne command and control. It’s a four-engine airplane that uses a complex weapons suite to employ 30mm and 105mm guns, as well as AGM-176 Griffin missiles and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. The unique gun fire control system, along with two MX-20 sensors, allow the crew to simultaneously engage two targets geographically separated by up to one kilometer with separate guns. A comprehensive precision strike package gives the crew a standoff capability to employ missiles or bombs before moving into the gun orbit, enabling the ultimate flexibility in dynamic operations.

A more recent video from operations aboard a Spectre Gunship in Afghanistan is available at https://www.americanspecialops.com/usaf-special-operations/aircraft/ac-130/
Josh’s role was providing close air support for Special Operations forces. Among the challenges they faced were leading folks through the Iranian ballistic missile attack and protecting Special Operations forces getting ISIS out of Iraq. On the country’s west border is Russian-backed Syria; on the eastern border is Iran, a hostile area all around.

But for now, that’s behind him. Coming home is always an emotional event. The last time Josh was home, he surprised his kids at school. But this time, they surprised him. Hiding in the bed of their pick-up, Josh didn’t see his kids until he opened the tailgate to throw his luggage in.

Like everyone else, military personnel are affected by this virus and the necessary constraints put in place. On the way home from Iraq, Josh and others could not leave the plane every time it stopped for fuel or for a pilot break. Normally, they would stop and spend the night somewhere on the long trip back. But without that luxury, they stayed aboard for about 45 hours without getting off. After 50 hours of total travel time, he finally made it home. But he’s not complaining – he says he’s blessed to get out, as theirs was the last plane out for next 30-60 days.

At least until mid-May, there’s a stop to all training and relocations. But once this thing is past, Josh’s next job will be as Air Force ROTC Detachment Commander for San Jose State University in California. He will also serve as Chair of Department of Aerospace Studies. He’ll work at the university for a few years until he reaches 20 years of service. Then, he’ll have the choice to either retire and go fly for an airline or stay in and return to Special Ops.

Currently, he’s quarantined for 14 days, having come from outside the country. At home, he’s re-integrating. “My wife has been handling a lot when I’ve been gone, so we’re learning how to make adjustments.”

Thank you for your service, Lt. Colonel Sullivan, and thanks to your family for their sacrifices as well. Welcome home.

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