REAL MAN TRUCKWORKS & SURVIVAL
GENERAL TOPICS => Our Pro-Military, Veteran, and Thin Blue Line place => Topic started by: Flyin6 on January 29, 2021, 04:22:00 PM
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https://youtu.be/zF_V_3rLZBc
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Pretty sweet. Didn’t realize that delta gots saddam
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Pretty sweet. Didn’t realize that delta gots saddam
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They didn't
But immediately after capture a 160th helo swooped in with some of the bubbas on board and put the habeas-grabbus on the fool.
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very cool video
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very cool video
:likebutton:
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Thought this was cool.
Talk about being old...
I can only point to having seen a small portion of aircraft in these posters while I wore that velcro.
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Nice
NSDQ
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This one deserves it's own post
Lotza names
God rest their souls
Right outside SOAR regimental headquarters
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This is normal folks, not the government trying to take away our freedoms.
First of all, anyone with a hunting rifle could wreck these guys day
Second, no one, on his life, from this unit will ever draw blood on an American or do anything against this nation
Like the Waffen SS was to bad...These guys are to good
Did this in LA, Long beach, CA, I think Detroit, Atlanta, and some other cities. You train to get it right here, then execute the real mission in some major metropolitan area down range.
https://www.facebook.com/edward.kmett/videos/10219277577600050
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There's a relationship suggested in that second pic that is real.
And no lesser man will put asunder.
Our government may be led by a stumbling fool who is surrounded by buffoons, transvestites and liars of all sizes. But in some places, men of honor who kneel to a real God, quietly wait
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Wally was one excellent human being. He was one of the very first CW5's ever promoted to that grade in the US Army, and for good reason. He was a strong man of God who chose to join up with a band of brothers that at that time were some of the only military members who were actually engaged in combat operations. Perhaps in the years to come, some of what was going on at that time will see the light of day, perhaps not, but he came to us knowing he would not be part of a unit that prepared for war, but to one which was at war.
I grew to know him well. I admired his steadfastness in his faith. I had no faith at the time, God was something weak men needed to explain away things to me...so funny in retrospect. One time we were actually conducting military operations within the borders of the United States. Yea, I know, pose comitatus and all that, and choose to not believe me, I don't care. On a day off in the middle of this thing, he chose to drive into Las Vegas to find a church to attend. The rest of us hoped to catch a wink, maybe a cold one, or perhaps go to the city of lights and try our luck, but not Wally.
I heard from folks in the 101st, where he was the most senior Chinook pilot in the whole division, that in the weeks and days leading up to the desert war (1st one) he led a bible study group at King Fahad Airport where the 101st was pre-positioned. So I asked him about it. He told me that a couple days before that started he was walking to meet his group, and the holy spirit came to him and told him to pray for our enemies. I didn't know a spirit of God from Casper, but I listened. He said as he began speaking a profound sadness came over him and he was seeing killing on a massive scale. The enemy was going to be delivered into our hands and were going to suffer unimaginably. At that time no one knew the war was about to start. Heck I only learned of it about 24 hours prior, and only because we had pre-H-hour missions to fly to prep the battle-space for what was coming.
Pierre was a once famous superbike/GrandPrix racer. He would have probably ascended to become one of the best in the world had it not been for his love of the military. He once owned "Kerker headers" which was one of the original motorcycle header manufacturers, and he also built satellite titanium frames for NASA. He was a good friend of Eddie Lawson. (Goggle the name if you don't know him.) Yea, that Eddie Lawson...Kawasaki tribute bikes? Same man. Pierre told me once that he and Lawson were chatting after a race one day and Pierre, knowing he was the best in the world commented that he had reached his dream. He was surprised to hear the number Grand Prix racer in the world at the time tell him, he really wanted to be an Army aviator! That so inspired Pierre, that he became one, and just like how he rose up to be great in bike racing, he arrived on our doorsteps one day and said I want to be a Night Stalker. Drove a red F150, small lift, which he was so proud of.
Tracy Tidwell was known to all of us as simply, "Turdwell." He was a wiry reddish-blonde freckled kid from Texas. His loud voice and somewhat, let's say, "Country" ways would cause trouble for us pretty much all the time. The more I chewed his a$$ for things the more he hung around my house, so I just stopped yelling at him, hoping he would leave me alone on weekends. I was an officer and he was a sergeant, but the kid never knew how to call me sir, or salute. Nope it was always, "Hey Big-Don, got the truck stuck down by the lake, can you get a chinook and maybe lift me and my buddies out of there?" Ya, that really happened. Of course I didn't take an Army Chinook to pull his rattle-trap F250 out of the mud, couldn't get the captain to allow it. Well, actually the captain was going to fly with me, but the old man about had a cow when he heard about our plans and darned near fired the both of us!
Tracy was good people. Anyone who drives an F250 with a big block and some gas tank held in by cargo straps and always wore cowboy boots while flying the chinook, well, crewing it in the back, is definitely a one of a kind.
Sgt Beem was a late comer. More formal than the rest of the enlisted pirates who inhabited that unit. He still had a lot of "Regular Army" in him. Addressed me as "Sir," never argued and was just a good kid and soldier. I don't think he came over to my house, but crewing with Tracy, he may have. He didn't need to die that cold night in Kentucky...
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Those armament guys...
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What they don't see:
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And possibly the last thing they see...
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Anyone remember this?
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Fast rope training, looks like new 75th Ranger bubbas
https://youtu.be/JWmOyIa4WBw
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Fast rope training, looks like new 75th Ranger bubbas
https://youtu.be/JWmOyIa4WBw
Pays to have some really nice gloves for sure.
Ya know. Looking at the 3 guys in the little bird, it just hit me how compact that thing is. Engine and gearbox must be extremely compact.
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Amen
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I buried Mike near Chicago.
Was really cold that day
I stood at attention with a hellish cold wind blowing.
We only had dress greens (Light jacket) and no coats
We stood until we were numb
I drank that night until I had no memory of that day
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Strength and Honor
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Our wall
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So, although the 160th is a closed mini culture of quiet warriors, we are now widely known of.
And as an American you should thump your chest knowing these folks are out, way out in front taking care of business.
So maybe I'll share some of our culture so that you all know what sort of warriors we have in this great military.
We do the mission, we have never quit, even to the point of death. We have never dishonored our nation, and you dam well ought to know, we scare the living crap out of the people we go after.
Yea, I talk as though I am still one of them, and I am not. But I was and like being a retired Marine, there is no such thing as a Ranger, or Green Beret, or Night Stalker or Seal who doesn't walk that out every single day of his life.
I like how we honor our dead. We weave that into who we are so that even in joy there is 1% looking back and remembering the losses and great men who died.
One of the units sayings is:
"I serve with the memory and pride of those who have gone before me, for they loved to fight, fought to win, and would rather die than quit... Night Stalkers Don't Quit!"
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Carlos was over my place a few days before he died.
His little bird did not pull out of a dive after firing a pair of 2.75" rockets, and they crashed. Carlos survived the crash but burned to death in the post crash fire. He had this super cool little girl. She was tough as nails. Once she jumped from a swing and broke both her legs. She just sat there and did not cry. Seems the Unit Ethos got into her some as well...
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These men died in the Philippines after raiding a communist guerrilla camp where they rescued an American Missionary in the years that "we were not at war."
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The guys who got Noriega.
We all nicknamed the mission "Operation Ghostbuster" and told everyone Elvis was alive and we were on the search for a pink Cadillac that had been spotted in Panama.
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These guys were pushing the limits of technology.
Flying overwater at night, something the Army does not do, and with AN-PVS5 goggles which were about useless, they couldn't even see an island in Lake Michigan in the evening fog/mist and flew right into it. The aircraft exploded and I doubt anyone actually knew they were dying.
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These two knuckleheads were par for the course of the regiment at that time. Gary, (Front seat) owned that jalopy and would fly (This time with Chuck) on weekends over Clarksville. He wore a crape scarf that had to be eight feet long. I'd hear the thing coming, look up and see the scarf streaming and know the skies were safe from attack
Ah, the memories...
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Stuff:
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Couple of tough hombres
Highest enlisted rank, Sergeant Major, Green Beret, SGM Nail
and the highest Officer rank, General, a Seal, Gen, Olson
Take a close look at those faces. You are looking at pure lethality. You are looking down the gun barrel of the baddest stuff the United States of America can send knocking on someone's door
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We honor the families of our fallen
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We're not all that popular with the Navy who feels they can do the job without the Army. But we appreciate the deck space, and I apologize for sneaking up on you at night and putting Seals all over your "secure" ships...
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I'll let the photo do the talking
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Master Sergeant Gordon, rest easy...
Metal of Honor dedication
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The "Real" SERE School. Level "C"
Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evasion is something most services have. It would be considered level "A"
Like the Air Forces's school somewhere up where it's cold.
Level "C" is designed for warriors at very high risk of becoming a POW. People like Special operators.
To be in a unit such as the 160th or Special Forces, you must attend and you must pass. If you cannot, then you are welcomed back into the roles of the regular Army. The only people who teach this school are Navy Seals or Army Green Berets.
It is ungodly tough. You may suffer a broken bone. Tough crap, you have to finish. You will lose 20 pounds. Well, just forget about eating and have fun meeting the new you that has to keep going with no nutrition replenishing all the damage your body is taking, it's all part of the game.
It makes you better. It shows you parts of yourself that you'd never learn anywhere else.
It's dangerous, It's challenging. You will get beaten to near the point of unconsciousness, but right there at the edge, you will learn to still play that mind control game.
It's you against them, and you have to win.
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Found some more
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Flying off of that platform thing, I think it is true that at one time, we sank every fast attack boat Iran had!
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Prop Copter! Love it!!! LOL!
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Some more pics:
Oh, and Foxtrot Juliet Bravo!
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And these:
I kinda agree with those little bird pilots jumping out of their aircraft! I'd be embarrassed to be seen landing that thing too!
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...Because keyboard warriors deserve their place in the history books too!
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Anyone ever been to Fayetteville, NC?
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One pic of the several months we played cowboys and Iranians...
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Never a dull moment (Except for those thousands of hours cross country, or all that time riding backwards around the world in a C5 or waiting for some rag head to show his face so we can smoke him, or...
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Hats off to those SEALs. Swimming back into that wind tunnel is not an easy thing to do
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Cool stuff
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Man, those NODs…. If I had a spare $25k
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Man, those NODs…. If I had a spare $25k
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Never stopped you before
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Man, those NODs…. If I had a spare $25k
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You’re thinking about it all wrong. If you had $50k, you could buy a set for both of us. :)
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It's in our hearts
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Roof of moving trains...Hmmm, never tried that one!
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Wow, over 40 years! I served in that unit when it was either late in it's second or early in its third year depending on which point you recognize as the beginning. The unit started as only a "Task Force." We create task-forces, putting together units which are task-organized for a particuliar mission. The boys in Somalia, for example were called "Task-Force Ranger." It consisted of The Rangers, the 160th, Delta, and some others.
The original 160th was called "Task-Force 160" which was put together from units borrowed from the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. In fact, when I first reported for duty there, I was assigned to "A-Company, 159th Aviation Battalion, TF-160." The last part of the designation was a well-known secret at Ft. Campbell. Those were strange days indeed. Our "regular" Army helicopters received very unusual and easily spotted modifications. Next, we developed never-before-attempted tactics such as "Fast-Rope" and NVG water landing techniques used to extract water-borne warriors.
Over the years those techniques were refined until we had something which was totally unique, way outside Army norms, and supported a very different mission. Odd, but I recall, it was fun to actually go do a routine Army sling-load or paradrop mission. The way we did those things was more streamlined, but made the assumption that only Tier-1 operators would be the only participants.
God Speed, Night Stalkers! May your successes continue to vanquish our enemies for decades into the future.
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I know all these guys. Col Bowman was, then, Captain Bowman. Took a round through his arm, in and out. Then it entered his chest and took a joyride through both lungs. He was flying the raid onto the roof of the prison where the unit along with another unit I shall not name rescued a CIA agent held prisioner. Bowman flew that entire mission that way. Afterward, "Flapper" the CW4 PIC Cpt Bowman was flying with, flew Bowman to the casualty collection point. The medic checked the in/out bullet hole in Bowman's arm and triaged him to be seen later on. But Flapper, a Vietnam vet did a better check, then in the dim light, there on Howard Air Force Base in Panama City, Panama, noticed some blood coming from Bowman's nose. Had Flapper not called Dr. Craig, our surgeon over at that moment, Bowman who was losing a lot of blood internally, would have died.
https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/go160thsoar?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZWZGJDJGGa-45pfs81ilwGE8fymYoCUFcKgot442tJvr993ZvzgA576npuytCTmaffh0uKmlva9r7hoT8QSqreZGMgzr3QrWqp88GqGKadxUEaMB3j2F2iR2puFk8ojbujBCFGowmGAL74orZBT06kO8rvtcBAJ0K9pjKhJ-Dd9tg&__tn__=*NK-y-R
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Some more pics I found
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I am a plank holder in the Bad Boyz
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A couple more from those I can share from the Regiment's web site.
They used to be very close-hold, but in recent years there is more and more info floating around about the unit. I always wanted to talk them up, but was usually told "not to speak of it."
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https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a45852193/nightstalkers-160th-soar-helicopter-unit-explained/
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Great Night Stalker vid right here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQV_F4uG_rE
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Ran across a bunch of more pics of the unit.
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We need to show the littlebird guys some love:
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And, of course this very memorable day in 93.
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"Fat tanks"