A 2003 Helicopter Mission Deep into Iraq

March 06, 2018 00:30:31
A 2003 Helicopter Mission Deep into Iraq
The Spear
A 2003 Helicopter Mission Deep into Iraq

Mar 06 2018 | 00:30:31

/

Show Notes

Col. Phil Ryan is the commander of the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. In 2003, in the first days of the invasion of Iraq, he was a pilot in the unit, part of a fourteen-helicopter mission deeper into the country than any coalition forces had yet made it. When enemy forces on the objective engaged the helicopters, an intense fight broke out. Listen to Col. Ryan tell the story of that mission.

Other Episodes

Episode 0

March 27, 2020 00:31:39
Episode Cover

Tip of the Spear in the Ebola Response

In 2014 and 2015, the US Army sent soldiers to help respond to an outbreak of Ebola in Liberia. Capt. Jerod Brammer led one...

Listen

Episode

May 22, 2025 00:52:07
Episode Cover

Forward Air Controller in Ramadi

In this episode of The Spear, retired Marine officer David Berke joins to share a story from 2006, when he was a forward air...

Listen

Episode

May 23, 2018 00:38:27
Episode Cover

A Marine Platoon in Anbar

In 2004, Tim Strabbing was a lieutenant and platoon commander in the Marine Corps, deployed to an area just outside Fallujah in Iraq's restive...

Listen