They were exhausted and angry with the mistake the US Air Force had made when they allowed Space-A seating to be filled on this leg of the flight home. [23], On 14 May 2006, helicopters from the 160th SOAR brought operators from Delta Force's B Squadron to Yusufiyah, Iraq, to fight al-Qaeda fighters in several buildings. The two Chinooks Turbine 33 and Turbine 34 were packed with 16 SEALs each, plus the Night Stalker pilots and crewman. For the Soldiers of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), their lineage is traced to four distinctive patches, highlighting their headquarters throughout the years: 101st. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 Blackhawk helicopter Master Aviator in the 160th SOAR after participating in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause, and Desert Storm, and also Gothic Serpent, in which he was briefly held prisoner in 1993 after a raid in Somalia . Fort Campbell, KY goarmysof.com/160th/SOARrecr Joined May 2019 106 Following 8,094 Followers Replies Media The 160th SOAR is the world's premier rotary-wing unit and specializes in transport, attack, and reconnaissance missions, with special-operations units being their main customers. Primary and secondary zones appear to be clear of potential threats.. David Pliego, UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief, 4th Bn., 160th SOAR, as he struggled to swim 30 meters in his flight gear and treaded water for what seemed like hours - only to be told his. The Night Stalkers again loaded their Chinooks with Rangers and SEALs and took off toward the mountains. 414 Am3ricanTrooper 9 mo. Requirements vary within each of the five units, but can include things like qualifying for a security clearance or having an ASVAB placement test score above 100. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor from the initial four-man SEAL reconnaissance element. Whiteman AFB Has Released A Short Clip That Shows A B-2 Dropping Two 30,000-Pound GBU-57 Bunker Buster Bombs, We got the first high-rez images of the stealth drone captured by Iran. I heard once you get in you're in a maintenance get for years then maybe you'll get a crew chief slot. One Night Stalker was killed in the battle. Rogie met Eicher on the flight line when he landed after returning from the mission. The 101st Airborne Division provided the elements that composed the organization. [27] Night Stalker helicopters were present during the 2008 SOCOM counter-terror exercises in Denver. After leaving the 160th SOAR, he was assigned as the commander of the 2nd Aviation Detachment at West Point, flying the UH-72 Lakota. We would have to drop a man down with a hoist in that hole of an LZ, Brady explained. The order was given to again abort the mission and return to base. Throughout that night of 5 December 2015, a group of Rangers engaged in a firefight with enemy troops near the Afghan-Pakistan border; after about 5 a.m. their commander called for an extraction after they learned of a larger enemy group approaching. In this installment of Dear Jack, Marine veteran and amateur life coach Jack Mandaville helps a soldier stationed in Korea deal with suspicious behavior back home. Vincent P.. Since 2011, Israels Iron Dome has intercepted roughly 90% of rockets targeting populated areas within its borders. "[45], 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (160th SOAR (A))[50], 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). When we landed, we just saw a row of Night Stalkers and Rangers and SEALs for as far as I could see, lined up and ready to help transport the remains off and take them to the mortuary affairs section, Brady recalled. Members of this unit are three-time volunteers: for the Army, for airborne training and for the regiment. Some small portions of the book are redacted for security reasons. The SEALs did their best to hide the rope and keep their presence on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters. Would going into the AD army as a new NCO (should get my E5 soonish) be a good or bad thing? Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Currier, left, an MH-60M Black Hawk pilot, and Spc. 160th Recruiting: Service in the 160th: My Life in Special Operations Aviation features a Special Operations Aviation 15U MH-47 Maintenance Platoon Sergeant. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. This port can be opened up fully to create a doorway from which troops can fast-rope down to the ground. In December 2001, Night Stalker crews resupplied more than 150 Delta Force, British Special Boat Service, and CIA Special Activities Division operatives as they hunted for Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountain complex. He was a graduate of several Army courses including Enlisted Combat Skills, Combatives Level I, MH-60 Maintainers Course, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE), MH-60 Non-Rated Crew Member Course . At Jalalabad, Brady was approached by SEAL Cmdr. Task Force 158 was the Army's only special operations aviation unit, and its members had already become recognized as the Army's premier aviation night fighters. Al and Kip were on the ramp when the RPG impacted, Smith, who witnessed the horrific event, recalled. 160th SOAR(A) Special Operations Recruiter/ Station Deputy Commander . 10th Special Forces Group conducted a combined exercise with 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) to bring cohesion in communication and sharing information. Thunder boomed as lightning struck all around them. In many ways, this book is a modern All Quiet on the Western Front. Through detailed explanation of the Nightstalkers mission, training and daily operations along with the unique culture of the secretive organization, Burnett takes you inside the unit, the training, the culture and the daily operations. Brady told his operations NCO to give him a minute to gather more information to get the next plan of action in place. [28] On 24 April 2008, Company D, 3rd Battalion, 160th SOAR was inactivated at a ceremony conducted at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, as part of a regimental transformation plan. [44], On the morning of September 18, 2021, "according to what appears to be a military incident report shared on Instagram and Reddit", a katana-wielding man attacked several SOAR soldiers at a California airport, forcing over twenty of them to "hunker down" in a hangar at Inyokern Airport, resulting in wounds to two soldiers that required stitches. Making The Cut The members of the task force said their final goodbyes. The mission was to capture or kill Ahmad Shah, a Taliban commander. The remaining Night Stalkers prepared for a rescue operation. There were 100-foot-tall trees on all sides of the Chinook, and they were so close the pilots had no room to sway as they descended. The chief warrant officer spot was established in 2005 when Chief Warrant Officer 5 Karl Maier was appointed to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Ryan said. In 2004 they took part in the rescue of three Italian contractors and one Polish businessman held for ransom by Iraqi insurgents. CK Re: Overnight Pave Hawks (2) collide Ft Campbell. In October 1993 in Somalia, Night Stalkers became involved in the Battle of Mogadishu, which later became the subject of the book Black Hawk Down, and its film adaptation. Three war-weary escorts one of them a SEAL and the other two Night Stalkers Daniel Bell and Chris Eicher sat off to the sides, grimly staring off into space. Making a Night Stalker is well worth adding to any collection of military aviation history. A GAU-17/A (minigun) mounted on a SOC-R, which is being operated by a SWCC during a training exercise. The JSOC troops, along with their newly arrived reinforcements, went to work recovering those killed in action as well as sensitive equipment that could not fall into enemy hands. The odds of enemy fighters hearing the echo of the dual-rotor helicopter increased every second it remained in a hover. Enter Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) David Cooper. Smith said he saw a line of armored vehicles full of troops. Publication of Making a Night Stalker was crowd-funded through a Kickstarter campaign that raised $10,392 from 210 backers. The pilots of the Chinooks, flying in zero-visibility conditions, were refueled in flight three times during the 11-hour mission, establishing a new world record for combat rotorcraft. [13] Next Generation Helmet Tested By F-22 Raptor Pilots, Pentagon Leaks: Russian Su-27 Nearly Shot Down British Rivet Joint Last Year, Re-Engined B-52 To Be Designated The B-52J, U.S. Air Force Will Not Buy AGM-183 ARRW Hypersonic Missile After Latest Failure, MH-47G Chinook special operations helicopter. The 160th SOAR have operated several flavors of MH-47 during its history. A U.S. 160th SOAR MOS's: Pilot Co-Pilot Crew Chief Door Gunner 5th SFG MOS's Communications Sergeant Weapons Sergeant Intelligence Sergeant Medical Sergeant In the 160th SOAR, we utilize real military tactics and apply them to the ARMA game world. Aviators, maintainers and aviation crewmembers of the RAF conducted exchange flights with Soldiers of 160th SOAR to share and learn how each respective unit operates. At 9 p.m. on 19 March 2003, the first strike of Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out by members of the 160th SOAR, on Iraqi visual observation posts along the southern and western borders of Iraq. [18], Later 2002, in Afghanistan, Task Force 11 (previously known as Task Force Sword-renamed in January 2002) was composed of DEVGRU, and a company of Rangers, and was supported by a company of helicopters from the 160th SOAR. After three to five years as an FMQ, the Night Stalker may try out for flight lead qualification. Once on the ground, they started their search for casualties, potential survivors, and sensitive equipment. As demand for highly trained special operations aviation assets bloomed, the regiment activated three battalions, a separate detachment, and incorporated one Army National Guard unit, the 1st Battalion, 245th Aviation (OK ARNG). Kristensen and his SEALs were waiting on the ramp, standing in a circle. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Listen as this tested Volunteer shares his experience in Army Special Operations Aviation and what it means to be a Night Stalker in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). The three-phase plan called for inserting a four-man SR team the first night, then inserting the second element of, This was a desolate part of the Hindu Kush, and at night, you wouldnt really expect to see much, Brady told, . Finally, 150 US Marines would come in to establish blocking positions for the SEALs assault on Shahs compound. They are flown exclusively by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). As the cases were being loaded, a SEAL ran up to the new SEAL commander and placed a written note in his hand. Thats not possible, Brady replied, confused at how quickly the SEALs had become compromised. Matt Bradys MH-47 Chinook helicopter on Bagram Air Base. After landing, Graham saw the same five Black Hawks that had peeled off earlier parked on the runway. PFC (Join to see) it doesn't matter if you're a crew chief, a fueler, Intel, anything. Staff Sgt. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. The Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) is known for having some of the most skilled aviators in the world, who fly the most elite special operators into some of the most austere environments on earth using the most advanced aircraft in the US military inventory. Life in the 160th I have spoken to AD and 160th recruiters Background: Army NG Crew chief (15T) E4, been in about 4 years but still have very limited maintenance experience and just recently RL1 crew chief. Both helicopters were struck by small arms fire. FORT CARSON, Colo. 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) operators prepare for final checks with CH-47 Chinook crew chiefs at Fort Carson Aug. 23-26, 2022. Answer (1 of 8): Thanks for the oppt'y to answer your question, Luke! A lot of guys really wanted to stay on the mission, recalled Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Graham, one of the pilots on Turbine 34. CENTCOM mistakenly posted a video on the internet of a flight of four MH-60Ms of the 160th SOAR conducting a mid-air refueling over Iraq in October 2014, the video was hastily taken down. Arriving at the insertion point on the ridgeline, Turbine 33 descended into a hover. BRCCs Clarksville, Tennessee, outpost hosted a fundraiser for the Screaming Eagles Aviation Associa Amid tensions with the West over fighting in Ukraine, the Russian Pacific Fleet was put on high alert for snap drills on Friday, April 14, 2023. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Children of varying ages ran around the coffins, playing and yelling, not yet old enough to understand the sacrifices these warriors made. [citation needed]) The unit was officially established on 16 October 1981, when it was designated as the 160th Aviation Battalion. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. We strive to achieve lore friendliness, without limiting ourselves. The AC-130 then destroyed the MH-47E wreck, denying it to the Taliban.[26]. [31], On 22 October 2009, a 3rd Battalion helicopter crashed into the USNS Arctic during a joint training exercise involving fast roping about 20miles off Fort Story, Virginia. I have a degree and job at a large gov consulting firm The plan was for the SEALs to fast-rope onto the ridgeline above the original LZ. Up until their retirement ceremony March 21, Maier was the longest-tenured Night Stalker in the 160th SOAR (A). He said visibility got so bad that he couldnt see the heat glow of the engines from the Chinook in front of him. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion. Fast-Rope down to the ground Kip were on the ridgeline hidden from enemy fighters him minute... 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