And immediately, as soon as the helicopters came inbound, we started getting shot at.

I was sitting on the left side of my helicopter and also engaging the enemy on the ground

with my M4 at the door, basically swung my legs out and was shooting and the other H6 little

bird was doing the same thing.

One pilot on the controls, the other pilot was using his M4 to engage single man targets

on the ground.

Hi, and welcome back to The Speer, a podcast by the Modern War Institute at West Point.

I'm John Amble, editorial director at MWI, and The Spear is our platform to explore the combat experience. Each episode includes a single

one-on-one interview with a guest who walks us through a particular event and their role in it.

A battle, a firefight, a mission. It's a first-person account of combat. MWI deputy director

Major John Spencer takes the reins in this episode.

You've heard him featured as a guest on the spear before, but now he moves over to the interviewer's chair for this discussion with Colonel Phil Ryan.

Colonel Ryan is the commander of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the U.S. military's most elite aviation unit.

In 2003, at the very beginning of the invasion of Iraq, he took part in a mission that

involved 14 aircraft targeting a facility deep inside Iraq, further than any ground forces

had yet made it.

After taking fire from enemy forces on the ground, an intense firefight broke out that involved

U.S. operators landed by Chinooks and Blackhawks and the elite

aviators flying just above the ground. We're thrilled to feature this incredible story, our first

that highlights pilots in combat. Before we get to it, though, just a couple really quick

notes. First, be sure to follow MWI on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It is a great way to

stay up to date on what we're doing so you don't miss any of the new articles, podcasts, and

...