jtac | Blind Bat News

“This is a world-class range that is run very well. The units here in Idaho, along with the range, OCTC [Orchard Combat Training Center], and Mountain Home communities have taken care of us every time we’ve come up here. If we find ourselves in a jam, or need something or don’t know this procedure or that procedure, we get nothing but help here.”-Master Sergeant Daniel Haack, JTAC manager for 11th Marine Regiment, 1st MARDIV

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Dean Gurule, 17APR2023.

In April 2023, the U.S. Marine Corps launched operation (Exercise) Garnet Rattler, seizing the U.S. Air Force’s gunnery range known as Saylor Creek, in Southern Idaho.

USMC photo by Corporal Dean Gurule, 17APR2023.

The use of the word ‘garnet’ is appropriate because Idaho is officially known as The Gem State. Exercise Garnet Rattler is about training Joint Tactical Air Controllers (JTAC): “Garnet Rattler’s main objective is to take entry level joint terminal attack controllers, forward air controllers, air officers and joint fires observers, and put them in a live-fire environment that has a lot of maneuver flexibility, as well as aviation employment, in order to train realistic scenarios for their entry level controls in the fleet.”-Master Sergeant Daniel Haack, JTAC manager for 11th Marine Regiment, 1st MARDIV

U.S. Marine Corps video report by Corporal Dean Gurule, 29APR2023, note the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing/190th Fighter Squadron A-10Cs in action, also, a Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB) F-15E pilot admits it is all about “…the Air Force and Marines are starting look to the Pacific and preparations for the Near Peer fight…”:

The following USMC videos, recorded (between 10-29APR2023) by Corporal Dean Gurule and Lance Corporal Juan Torres, have been edited by me.

“Rotors comin’ in!”:

Mountain Home AFB F-15E Strike Eagle:

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Juan Torres, 26APR2023.

Machine guns & mortars:

Idaho National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Joseph Morgan, 25APR2023.

Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing/190th Fighter Squadron’s A-10C Thunderbolt-2 (remember, the ‘woke’ USAF has been trying to get rid of this awesome aircraft):

Saylor Creek: IDAHO’S TACP/JTACs TRAIN WITH INFANTRY WEAPONS!

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan, 07MAR2020.

It’s not Afghanistan! That’s an A-10C Thunderbolt-2 flying an air strike mission (simulated, whew) over the mountains just Northwest of Boise.

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan, 07MAR2020.

There are some things hi-tech hasn’t been able to conquer, like getting your Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) into hard to reach terrain, like the mountains of Idaho.

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan, 07MAR2020.

Between 09 February and 07 March 2020, the Idaho Air National Guard teamed up with the Gem County Sheriffs Department to call in A-10 air strikes near the town of Emmett, and conduct ‘backcountry’ ops against silly-vilians who’ve gone rebel. (because apparently our government expects future combat ops to take place within the U.S., read statement by Staff Sergeant below)

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Airman First Class Taylor Walker, 09FEB2020.

Idaho’s 124th Security Forces Squadron also joined the hunt for terrorists (possibly those damn terrorists from California).

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Airman First Class Taylor Walker, 09FEB2020.

It was the first training scenario for the 124th ASOS involving horses, so they had to get trained up first: “We’re learning how to properly pack people and equipment onto horses so that if we’re ever in a situation where we can’t use normal methods of transportation, we can use the animals to assist. TACP units are joint providers of precision strike capabilities, and as the premier precision strike provider we have to be able to get in and get out of anywhere in the world at any time.”-Staff Sergeant Neil Mooney, 124th Air Support Operations Squadron

Hunting rebel terrorists in the mountains around Emmett, Idaho. Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan, 07MAR2020.

For those citizens who have a fear the government will turn inward upon its own population (and the fact that Idaho was the scene of the infamous Ruby Ridge incident where, after citizens were killed, the government was proved wrong in court) Staff Sergeant Mooney made this ominous statement: “…there’s also a stateside potential that we could be called up with immediate response authority to go into the backcountry, and our members need to know how to get around with available livestock…”

Idaho Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Joseph R. Morgan, 07MAR2020.

The guy in the above pic is wearing silly-vilian clothing because he is playing the part of domestic terrorist (opposition forces, OpFor) using the dreaded AR-15/CAR-15/M16/M4 Mass-shooter Plinker. Apparently Idahoans who don’t like the government are now domestic terrorists, or, maybe it’s a ‘foreign’ terrorist from California who heard how great Idaho was?