160th SOAR(A) Special Operations Recruiter/ Station Deputy Commander . Their war-weary faces were chiseled stone as they watched the task force solemnly load 16 flag-draped interment cases into the C-17. Print. Everyone who is assigned to 160th does Green Platoon. The weather was turning bad again as they offloaded Marines to assist with security. Graham made a stop at a Forward Arming and Refueling Point just outside of Jalalabad. In June 1988, the unit received a short-notice directive to recover a Soviet made Mi-25 Hind (Mi-24 Hind export version) attack helicopter from a remote location in Chad. The sun was fading behind Afghanistans Hindu Kush mountains the evening of June 27, 2005, as a team of four US Navy SEALs walked up the ramp and into the back of US Army Capt. They rolled out with a convoy and with some vengeance, and they fought their way up that mountainside, all the way up to the crash site.. With that, they retired to their rooms to rest for phase two of the operation the following night. The door gunners of the 160th's Black Hawks fired at the insurgents; a pair of AH-6M Little Birds carried out strafing runs. [18], On 21 June 2002 in the Philippines, Night Stalker MH-47Es were involved in the operation that killed Abu Sabaya, a senior leader in Abu Sayyef. Clayton, Cindy, and Lauren King, "Army, Navy Investigating Deadly Copter Crash on Ship", United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command, United States Army Special Operations Command, Objective Wolverine and Raptor missions and Operation Relentless Strike, Operation Enduring FreedomCaribbean and Central America, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85 (HSC-85), Australian 171st Special Operations Aviation Squadron, British Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing, Canadian 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, French 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment, Italian 3rd Special Operations Helicopter Regiment, "US Military to open 6200 new jobs to women", "160th SOAR(A) Green Platoon Train-up program", "Who Attends the Special Operations Combat Medics (SOCM) Course? Does anyone know how prior service contracts work? Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Currier, left, an MH-60M Black Hawk pilot, and Spc. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The extreme height of the trees made the full length of rope approximately 90 feet necessary. The projectile flew through the open ramp of the Chinook and exploded inside. 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. When the ramp lowered, the Night Stalkers on the Chinooks stood tall and proud for their fallen brethren as task force members boarded and began solemnly moving each remains bag to the mortuary affairs building. After a series of skills test qualifications, experience, leadership, and oral review boards lasting up to three years, the Night Stalker is designated Fully Mission Qualified (FMQ). MH-47D. Nicknamed the Night Stalkers and called Task Force Brown within the JSOC,[2] the 160th SOAR(A) is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Author and former special operations helicopter crew chief David Burnetts new book, Making A Night Stalker contains every one of those elements and a unique twist: Burnett is not a writer. As the lead aircraft descended, it became clear the LZ was on a steep slope of the mountain, making descent difficult due to the front rotors approaching the mountainside faster than the rear of the aircraft. The C-17 sat on the runway with the ramp down, waiting to receive the 16 interment cases containing the fallen warriors. The loss weighed heavy on the men. We argued for what seemed like 10 minutes but was actually about 30 seconds, Brady recalled. [38][39] On 4 July 2014, during Operation Inherent Resolve, the Night Stalkers inserted Delta Force operators into Syria to rescue James Foley and other US hostages. He remained in 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR (A) as an MH-60M Crew Chief. The 160th -60's are referred to as MH-60's. The M . So my buddy that said "Green platoon is like a short ranger school" was full of shit, eh? Finally, the 50-day SOAMIC provides 160th-assigned Health Care Specialists (68Ws) who have completed the Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) Course advanced training on "in-flight trauma/resuscitative care. Enlisted Soldiers must first qualify and then be selected to join Special Operations. Finally, 150 US Marines would come in to establish blocking positions for the SEALs assault on Shahs compound. Staff Sgt. Northern Edge 21, the premier bi-annual joint exercise of the [], The famous Stealth Black Hawk helicopter revealed by the Osama Bin Laden raid is one of the hot topics of this blog. The rescue was a success. Demerly studied journalism at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. Disappointed, Brady followed the order and got off the aircraft. Five of the eighteen men killed (not counting a nineteenth post-operation casualty) in the Battle of Mogadishu were members of the Night Stalkers team, who were lost along with the two Black Hawks. Their distinctive 101st "Screaming Eagle" patches remained on their uniforms. That meant if the SEALs got into trouble, extraction would potentially require the use of a hoist to pull the SEALs out, which was a time-consuming and dangerous option. [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. We strive to achieve lore friendliness, without limiting ourselves. Making a Night Stalker is well worth adding to any collection of military aviation history. Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. The Army looked to the 101st Aviation Group, the air arm of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), which had the most diverse operating experience of the service's helicopter units, and selected elements of the 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Aviation Battalion, 229th Aviation Battalion, and the 159th Aviation Battalion. 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. . During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, the Night Stalkers from 2nd Battalion supported two task forces established in early October 2001: Dagger and Sword. This sub has completely lost it's sense of humor. A U.S. Army crew chief, right, with the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) and an Air Force loadmaster with the 15th Airlift Squadron guide an MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter while 110823-F-WA575-004.jpg 4,256 2,832; 4.55 MB Aircrew of MH-47E 'Razor 03' during Operation Enduring Freedom, 2001. As the storm raged, the members of the task force haunted with thoughts of their brothers on the mountain tried to sleep. They are famous for the roles they played in both the Battle of Mogadishu and the mission to kill Usama Bin Laden but are revered throughout the special operations community for acts of valor that often never see the light of day due to the classified nature of their work. [20], On the evening of 13 December 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces in Operation Red Dawn, he was exfiltrated by a MH-6 Little Bird from the 160th SOAR and he was taken into custody at Baghdad International Airport.[21]. After landing, Graham saw the same five Black Hawks that had peeled off earlier parked on the runway. The chosen pilots immediately entered intensive training in night flying. They are flown exclusively by the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Brady knew that surveillance aircraft going off station without backup was supposed to result in aborting the mission. Graham reported the situation back to Bagram. He and some of his fellow Night Stalkers felt the SEALs plan was too risky. Campfire 'Bwana. A surprise sandstorm slowed the return trip, but less than 67 hours after the arrival of the C-5 in Chad, the ground crew had the Hind and Chinooks aboard and ready for return to the U.S.[7]. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Matt Rogie arrived in Bagram just before the Night Stalkers came back after dropping off the recovery force. SOAR helicopters may also be used for resupply, close air support or medical evacuation of special operations personnel. Contents of this blog/website may not be used without author's prior written permission. St Martin's, 2008. I heard once you get in you're in a maintenance get for years then maybe you'll get a crew chief slot. I saw this first hand as an H-60 Search & Rescue Swimmer Crew Chief (AW . Please tell me this is a joke that I just didn't get. The book hit Amazon.com on December 12, 2018 and has shot to the #1 selling title in Afghan War Military History on Amazon, trending in front of books by noted journalist Sebastian Junger and Medal of Honor winner Clinton Romesha. The Tuskegee Airmen flew bomber escort missions during World War II and earned a reputation for excellence that shattered racial barriers within the U.S. military. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. The task force commander denied the request and ordered Turbine 34 back to Jalalabad. Their capability was judged too useful to lose, and so instead of returning to the 101st, the pilots and modified aircraft became a new unit. 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 . Just so it seems real to everyone else.. Ms. Snuffy, we regret to inform you that your son was selected as "the example" in his SERE class. More significantly across the entire arc of the Global War on Terror, the 160th SOAR has inserted elite special operations teams from every service, including SEALs, Rangers, Special Forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and . 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. " 13 SOAMIC consists of "didactic and practical training in SOA medical tasks, provider-level clinical and battlefield medicine, and How do deployments work? Marketta was a decorated soldier who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2011 as a 15th UH-60 "Black Hawk" Repairer. The OH-6 Cayuses, aircraft that had vanished from the division's regular inventory after Vietnam, were hidden on base in an ammunition holding area still known as the "SHOC Pad", for "Special Helicopter Operations Company". In helicopter parlance, a chopper like the MH-60, which is used for . The task force commander debriefed the men and then focused on planning their next steps. Just found out they are taking prior service 15T into 160th. 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