Operation Restore HopeOperation Gothic SerpentGlobal War on TerrorismOperation Enduring FreedomIraq WarOperation Inherent ResolveAl-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen. The birds call sign was Turbine 33. )[8] In the evening of 18 October into 19 October 2001, two SOAR MH-47E helicopters, escorted by MH-60L (Direct Action Penetrators) (DAPs), airlifted U.S. troops from the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan[9] more than 300 kilometers (190mi) across the 16,000-foot (4,900m) Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan. [29] The 160th SOAR also took part in the 2008 Abu Kamal raid. With signs of belly landing. I really enjoy being a crew chief but doing it once a month with no deployments coming up in combination of my civilian job of inputting shit on excel leaves me wanting more. A Taliban high-value target sat tucked into the corner away from them all, guarded by other soldiers. 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 suspended dust erases the horizon making. The chosen pilots immediately entered intensive training in night flying. Upon joining the 160th, all soldiers are assigned to "Green Platoon", in which they receive intensive training in "advanced methods of the five basic combat skills: first responder, land navigation, combatives, weapons and teamwork". Staff Sgt. A new Night Stalker pilot arrives at a unit as Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ). 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. Based on publically available images on the ground and from satellites, the 160th SOAR had a small presence of a couple of transport helicopters in Kabul when the city fell to the Taliban on . Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, and other Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) personnel loaded onto five Chinooks. Kristensen and his SEALs were waiting on the ramp, standing in a circle. I really want the opportunity to deploy and 160th seems like the best chance. On 26 November 2014, MH-60s flown by Nightstalkers took part in the first raid in the 2014 hostage rescue operations in Yemen. [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. The C-17 closed its ramp and taxied down the runway and took flight. The 160th SOAR pilots and crew were about the only personnel at Mogadishu that had night-vision goggles (NVGs), and they used them to good effect. 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. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Currier, left, an MH-60M Black Hawk pilot, and Spc. And, if you want to be a part of a generally top-notch team, then 160th SOAR AKA the "Night Stalkers" checks the box. 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.. One of the SEALs even drew his pistol and attempted unsuccessfully to force the Chinook to land so they could try to save their friends. We would have to drop a man down with a hoist in that hole of an LZ, Brady explained. February 4, 2023. These are the crews who fly America's top special. From flying planes, to operating drones, to fixing Black Hawk helicopters, and more, you'll have an exciting career ahead of youno matter the role. However, one Delta Force operator succumbed to his wounds. He tells the tale from the perspective of the common man, the common soldier. Whats the unit like in general? Because Burnett was an enlisted crew chief servicing the aircraft, his insights are accessible and grounded. He said visibility got so bad that he couldnt see the heat glow of the engines from the Chinook in front of him. Smith and the others in Turbine 34 watched helplessly as the Chinook full of their fellow aviators their friends crashed into the mountain and erupted in a ball of flames. Joined: Feb 2006. Making A Night Stalker takes you along on Burnetts career in the U.S. Army during the Global War on Terror. [27] Night Stalker helicopters were present during the 2008 SOCOM counter-terror exercises in Denver. This is post/unit dependent. The crash killed a soldier, Sergeant First Class James R. Stright, 29, and injured eight others, three seriously. Were completely separate commands. Thanks to his selfless sacrifice, his classmates took the course more seriously. I wager more than a few literary agents are kicking themselves as they realize they missed out on a historically relevant and uniquely narrated insight into a seldom covered but fascinating story. Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. As he watched the two Chinooks taxiing onto the runway, he locked eyes with Russell, his platoon sergeant. I have a degree and job at a large gov consulting firm. Chris, Turbine 33 has just been shot down, he told Eicher, whod earned the nickname Iceman for his always cool demeanor. Turbine 34 started taking heavy gunfire from unseen fighters below. Demerly is an experienced parachutist, holds advanced SCUBA certifications, has climbed the highest mountains on three continents and visited all seven continents and has flown several types of light aircraft. Select Officer, Warrant Officer, or Enlisted below and you will be redirected to the NEW https://go160thsoar.com recruiting site for MOS field list, requirements, and applications. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the 160th SOAR or Night Stalkers, are the critically important aviation support of America's special operations forces. Because the 160th SOAR has played such a significant role in the ongoing Global War on Terror, Burnetts chronicle is an important historic time capsule of one of the most fascinating units in all the worlds militaries. Members of this unit are three-time volunteers: for the Army, for airborne training and for the regiment. Members of this unit are three-time volunteers: for the Army, airborne. They would have to offload eight SEALs from each helicopter before continuing. While one of the helicopters crash landed on arrival,[35] all on board survived. The 160th SOAR actively seeks and assesses the best-qualified aviators, crew members and support personnel in the Army. After thorough planning back at SOAR headquarters, Woodie and his unit embarked on a response mission to Afghanistan, and the 160th has been actively engaged ever since. Graham watched from Turbine 34 as Turbine 33s ramp lowered and the crewman walked onto it to observe the landing zone below. Once on the ground, theyd have to pick up the rope, hook it to themselves, and get hoisted back up. On 25 August 2017, a Black Hawk helicopter flown by the 160th SOAR crashed off the coast of Yemen while conducting hoist training when it lost power and crashed into the sea, six servicemen survived, one US service member remained missing. @Go160thSoar Official Twitter of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Recruiting Team. In 2018 Shelton became a MH-60M Crew Chief. 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. Campfire 'Bwana. Was this review helpful? With that, they retired to their rooms to rest for phase two of the operation the following night. The Chinooks took off toward the mountains once again, but as they climbed in elevation, severe weather rolled in. 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, . Children of varying ages ran around the coffins, playing and yelling, not yet old enough to understand the sacrifices these warriors made. At the Bagram operations center, Maj. Stephen Reich approached Brady urgently, asking why he didnt follow abort criteria and fly back with the SR team after the AC-130 had to leave the airspace. They rode it all the way in that way.. It didnt look like there was any way anybody could have survived, Graham said. Also known within JSOC as Task Force Brown, it fulfils a few different purposes, including direct combat engagement and support, as . St Martin's, 2008. 160th SOAR Detachment of 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (3/75)With footage from members of soar and Senior Crew Chief Dunkin. Photo courtesy of Matt Rogie. The flight crew kicked out the ropes, and the SEALs fast-roped down. Receiving the transmission, Brady couldnt believe it. Hovering for that long over the same spot would burn the LZ and likely alert the enemy to the SR teams presence.. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor from the initial four-man SEAL reconnaissance element. The assault force (4 AH-6M Little Birds and 4 MH-60L Black Hawks) carried in DEVGRU operators to kill or capture the leader. AH-6Ms strafed the two-vehicle convoy, killing the leader along with three other al-Shabaab terrorists, then carried out an overwatch while DEVGRU cleared the vehicles and recovered the body. 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. Finally, Burnett pulls back the curtain on his personal struggle re-integrating into civilian culture, a traumatic change that lead him to attempt suicide and finally gain redemption partially through writing Making a Night Stalker. 160th soar Reply More posts from r/Helicopters. They engaged in a fierce firefight, and at some point the task force lost contact with them. This is my mission.. (We've been through many themes over . Tom Demerly is a feature writer, journalist, photographer and editorialist who has written articles that are published around the world on TheAviationist.com, TACAIRNET.com, Outside magazine, Business Insider, We Are The Mighty, The Dearborn Press & Guide, National Interest, Russias government media outlet Sputnik, and many other publications. Elements of 3rd Battalion 160th SOAR have conducted episodic deployments in support of Operation Enduring FreedomCaribbean and Central America, begun in 2008. I have a degree and job at a large gov consulting firm 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. This is not some hyped-up commando tale on steroids. I still receive many comments about readers who give hints about the actual []. This application process begins when you submit your packet and ends when you report for duty. Source: used to be a 160th crew chief on the MH-60M like this. In late May of that year an advance team went to Ndjamena, Chad, to await their aircraft. Making A Night Stalker details the selection process for the 160th SOAR Nightstalkers and their extensive training. He told Reich pushing the mission back would allow Shah to continue his terrorist activities, likely leading to the death of locals and US military in the area. One Night Stalker was killed in the battle. ), has been an AH-64D. In non-fiction, they tell a story never told before or, told from a different perspective. MOS 15U MH-47 Special Operations Crew Chief is featured in this episode of Service in the 160th: My Life in Special Operations Aviation. Turbine 33s nose dipped down, and the aircraft slid to the left, appearing to almost recover. The rescue operation, known as Operation Red Wings II, continued for weeks. Rgt., attached to Troop D, Task Force Palehorse (7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Rgt. [43], On 20 August 2018, CW3 Taylor Galvin died from injuries resulting from an MH-60M crash while conducting a partnered counter-terrorism mission in support of the Operation Inherent Resolve. The rescue was a success. 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). The Night Stalkers again loaded their Chinooks with Rangers and SEALs and took off toward the mountains. Im glad youre a thinking air mission commander and not simply one that takes a black-and-white view of the situation.. 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