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 out the door.

Basically swung my legs out and was shooting

and the other age 6 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 Spear, 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.

MWS John Spencer takes over for this episode.

You've heard him before featured as a guest on the spear,

but now he moves over to the interviewer's chair for this discussion with Colonel Phil Ryan.

Colonel Ryan is an Army aviator who has spent much of his career

in the Army's most elite Special Operations Aviation Units. 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 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

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