But nobody probably because my executive summary was so vague there was no contextual data to say, Heres what happened on the air side,' Englen speculated. The regiment then became an airborne unit in October 1986 and was re-designated the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne). Shes received two national Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the Medal Of Honor Societys Excellence in Journalism Award. Maybe. Military Families face numerous challenges, but the 160th community has the experience and resources to assist in managing those challenges. Those missions involved British special operations and multiple Tier 1 organizations from the U.S. From Samarra to the Yusufiyah triangle, the list of operations the public never knew about was long. has two MH-47 Chinook helicopter companies; and 3rd and 4th bns. Each battalion also has a strategic composition of light, medium and heavy helicopters, all highly modified in designed to meet the units unique mission requirements. I see you have to be a senior or promotable E6 to apply, however I'm confused as to what they would actually be doing in the Regiment. But, its paramilitary, so we just knew that eventually they would. Tom DiTomasso, a retired lieutenant colonel and former Army Special Operations Command squadron commander, was at Objective Gecko and praised Englen and the 160th SOAR. I had some money on me, and a few cigars for bargaining (with captors), but that was it (besides his M9 pistol and M4 rifle), Englen said. I mean, we were at the maximum weight that the aircraft could hold," Englen explained. It was enough, Tina confided. I guard my units mission with secrecy, for my only true ally is the night and the element of surprise. I was selected because I knew that type of environment very well. Turns out, Vice President Joe Biden pulled Englen to the side every time to make small-talk. Al Mack, who has publicly disclosed his name, gets the credit for that. They are highly trained and ready to accomplish the very toughest missions . Were not telling you how its wrong, just that its wrong,' he said. I came running back in, knocked my knee on the door, about fell into my living room, and sure enough, my phone was ringing. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. and our "It truly is a decision brief each time, but you have to go through the concepts. If they are loaded too quickly, they can bog down a little bit. She wanted to be with her family to see what was going on. 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 . Corestacks; . We rescued the Rangers when they were protecting the road going into Haditha, and a lady suicide bomber, pretending to be pregnant, blew up the checkpoint, Englen said. For installation operating status and inclement weather updates, click the above link. In reality Englen, who just retired as the senior warrant adviser to the secretary of the Army and most decorated aviator in the Army, led the air component for the bin Laden raid, one of the most famous military operations in recent history. We didnt even get to say goodbye, the phone had disconnected. From getting the call, Englen was there less than 10 minutes after the aircraft crash. Though the global special operations never ceased for Englen and his fellow 160th aviators, the one the public always wanted to know about was the famous bin Laden mission. News. is located at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; and 4th Bn. But for special operations aviators of the 160th, thats an eternity. In garrison training or in a decisive action fight? I knew what he was doing was big. But we were minutes behind him and his vehicles in Iraq, and we couldve gotten him. The Rangers never gave the clearance for Englen to come in. Crossing into Pakistan was emotional for everyone. Nothing personal, in case they were taken hostage. 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. C. Application to 160th from AIT. They lived on post, and everyone was excited. We got shot at with absolutely everything: RPGs, RPK, AKs. ", I am a tested volunteer seeking only to safeguard the honor and prestige of my country, by serving the elite Special Operations Soldiers of the United States.. I see you have to be a senior or promotable E6 to apply, however Im confused as to what they would actually be doing in the Regiment. The 160th SOAR fly the following helicopters: MH-47G Chinook MH-60M Black Hawk MH-60M DAP (gunship variant) AH-6M / MH-6M Little Bird Stealth / Ghost Hawk (Courtesy of Doug Englen). It was also a bit shocking for Tina, when attending her husbands retirement functions, to hear hed been shot at. People outside were running up and down the street with air horns. Englen's 2nd UBL attempt was at this compound during darkness prior with his MH47. After retiring earlier this month, Englen donated the small U.S. flag from his body armor to the 9/11 Museum at Ground Zero in New York. "When we pulled out, I yanked the guts out of the engines and we were at max power. has one AH-6 Little Bird helicopter company, one MH-6 Little Bird helicopter company and three companies of MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters; 2nd Bn. Service opportunities include: Our goal is for each Night Stalker to maximize their military education. Look up the Silver Star citation for CW5 Douglas Englen for that night the citation is so blandly generic that it looks like he didnt do much. UNLESS CONTACTED BY YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND, USASOC OPERATES FROM THE FORT BRAGG INSTALLATION STATUS. What makes it different than being in a normal air assault unit? is located at Fort Lewis, Wash. Fort Bragg, N.C (August 16, 2013) -- First Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) (Airborne), recently conducted unit mobility training in northern Michigan. It may not display this or other websites correctly. And it worked," he said. The third time Englen went after bin Laden was between the Khost Bowl and the Tirah Valley in Afghanistan, right next to Pakistan, in 2008. The fact that her husband had called was. Their wedding rings, and everything else, went into their kit bags to stay behind. Certainly not trying to get any classified info. You will find the standards of performance exacting and unwavering. Almost all of the news coverage was about the SEALs, which he was perfectly fine with Folks really did not need to know about what special operations aviators do period. In reality, that delay was because the special operators were reveling at Bagram. After U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin laden in Pakistan in May 2011, top CIA officials secretly told lawmakers that information gleaned from brutal interrogations played a key role in what was one of the spy agencys greatest successes. Theyre walking out. We worried that we were going to be on al-Qaidas top 10 list because of this, just as if we would look for them, he said. I asked them (McRaven and Panetta), saying, This is what Im considering doing. And theyre like, Its wonderful. I had to anticipate and load the engines. Among her documentaries areHorse Soldiers of 9/11, narrated by actor Gary Sinise, and Chinook Down, investigating the fatal shoot-down of a helicopter in Afghanistan. So, even if we were shot it, it would be hard to even return fire. The couples son Chris had come down from their local college to fill the dad role, since Englen couldnt be there. Theres at least a dozen missions that I thought, There was no reason why we should have come out of that alive,' he confided. I never thought that we werent coming back, Englen said. Only a few days following Objective Gecko, Englen (under a senior flight lead) rescued Hamid Karzai from the Taliban. Our assessment process is conducted by the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion to ensure every prospective member of the organization is fitto serve as a Night Stalker. Some of the officials who'd been in the White House Situation Room during the operation later released details from the intelligence side, and some of what the SEALs had done. All we do is minimize our time and get there as quick as possible," Englen said. Regardless, they were still jinking and jiving, flying nap-of-the-earth. This is your prom night, go. I cant find anything online but dont 13Fs call for artillery fire? As he landed under the mushroom cloud of the exploding Black Hawk, the flight lead and planner was pissed off. If it crashed in civilian area? No, I felt like it was a jinx. Consistently put themselves in harm's way to make sure we are covered on the ground. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy, and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country. On the TV in the tiny lobby waiting room, the news was all about the killing of bin Laden. 'You know who that is?' Members of this unit are three-time volunteers: for the Army, for airborne training and for the regiment. When I know something, yall will know something, give me a minute. And he just was crying on the other end of the phone, This is our dad, this is my dad, this is my dad.' DISCOVER Enlisted 30 160TH SOAR (Abn) Hes only venturing into the light because former CIA Director Leon Panetta and retired Navy Adm. William R. McRaven the overall commander of the bin Laden mission encouraged him to, calling him an American hero.. Archived post. 15b 160th soar 4 0 0 0 15d 160th soar 4 0 0 0 15e 0 0 6 0 15e 160th soar 7 6 0 0 15f 160th soar 4 4 4 0 15g 160th soar 5 4 0 0 . Most recently, in July 2006, the regiment provisionally stood up a fourth battalion to meet growing special operations forces requirements. Englens wife Tina, his high-school sweetheart, was worried. Englen had just trained 160th crews on electronic warfare: deep-insertion attacks against an enemy threat with an air defense network. He bootstrapped his way up. 160th SOAR Chinook "Crazy Horse Airlines" Co. They were genuine, thoughtful questions, but were kind of off-topic. But, not before telling her mother, Why the hell did I want a Cinderella dress? In addition to training, developing and mentoring subordinates, USASOAC and the 160th SOAR(Abn) leadership are charged with the talent management and leader development for every Soldier. It was almost a full moon, and Englen incurred 38 bullet holes in his Chinook. Pakistani security forces began demolishing the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed in a covert US raid last May in the garrison town of Abbottabad, police and witnesses said. 160 SOAR, crash with 91-00496 on night + M.3713: In this community, its kind of good to be ignorant, because what you dont know, doesnt hurt you. Today, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment continues a sustained and active forward presence in the U.S. Central Command area of operations at multiple locations in support of operations Enduring Freedom. The 160th SOAR(A) is comprised of a regiment headquarters, four battalions and a dedicated training company. They did not bring in the rest of the air crew, and the rest of the ground force, until two and a half weeks before they executed the mission. As a crew chief, he was in one of the first helicopters in Bosnia in 1995. Everyone (in the special operations community) worried if they didnt hear from their spouses. (Courtesy of Doug Englen), Englen is sharing his story for the first time and possibly the last, since he lives by the quiet professionals code, and avoids discussing his life in the shadows. In Iraq, there were also several high-profile missions the public knew little about. We (the spouses) were always imbued with, Just support them, Tina said. Once, when he'd called to ask how she and their four children were doing, her washing machine was flooding water out their front door. Doug pulled my fat out of the fire more times than I can think of, McRaven said at a speech at Murray State College in February, a month before Englen retired. I pledge to maintain my body, mind and equipment in a constant state of readiness for I am a member of the fastest deployable Task Force in the world, ready to move at a moments notice anytime, anywhere, arriving time on target plus or minus 30 seconds. 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