were getting 70–80 hours a month. If you want to bag flight time and traps, you’ve come to the right place. For those of you who haven’t experienced it, 80 hours a month kicks your ass.
“You heard the CO. Get ready.
“We are loaded for bear each hop,” said Wilson, as he shifted gears, “but we have to adopt the mindset that we do not want to drop. Our job is to support the guys on the ground who are in a battle for the hearts and minds. When we drop, even if we’re on target and are killing bad guys, it doesn’t help us with the populace if we break windows and make babies cry. We have got to determine through our own assessment of the tactical situation — through the voice inflection of the JTAC and through the passdown of the flights ahead of you — whether it’s right to drop. Remember, the bad guys want you to drop, that’s why they are holed up next to mosques and in the middle of neighborhoods. Ask the JTACs to declare troops in contact, and if they report TIC, support ‘em with fire. If the JTAC can get the bad guys to hole up or to cease fire by calling you in to make some noise, that’s mission success. So, we have to assess the situation and assess when it’s smart to release, and it’s going to be you knuckleheads who are gonna make this call on the spot. Remember, you do not want to be on CNN by making the wrong call.
“So, triple-check the coordinates, use a run-in that minimizes collateral damage and your exposure to the threat, listen to the JTAC. If he wants you to hit something in the middle of a city, question him. Have him declare TIC, see if he’s taking fire. Like the CO said, if you need to drop or strafe to support these guys, do it. But there should be no doubt. We cannot make a mistake.”
Wilson reminded them to make area divert charts and to study the terrain around Diyala and along the Tigris to Mosul. When he finished, Cajun looked over his shoulder at the group, pointed toward Wilson and cracked, “What he said!”
“QUOTH THE RAVEN!” boomed the pilots inside Ready 7.
* * *
After dinner, Wilson went down to the “clean-shirt” wardroom and was grateful there was no one using the satellite phone to call home. It was early afternoon in Virginia Beach, and Wilson hoped Mary was home and in the mood to talk. She had been distraught when she wrote the e-mail, and he knew the stress of facing another holiday season alone was what was really bothering her. He dialed the number and took a deep breath. After two rings she answered.
