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Modern War Institute at West Point

The Spear

Fred Lough began his Army career as an engineer officer before deciding to leave military service to attend medical school and become a surgeon. After rejoining the Army to support the Global War on Terror, Fred later served two combat tours in Afghanistan, where he was part of a mobile forward surgical team. In this episode of The Spear, Fred speaks with MWI's Charlie Faint about his experiences in Afghanistan at FOB Shank and Herat, as well as his thoughts about Ranger School, the Haqqani Network, and damage-control combat medicine.

Combat Surgery in Afghanistan

During his service as a combat rescue officer in the US Air Force, Captain Sal Sferrazza and his team of Air Force pararescue jumpers were deployed to Afghanistan, where their mission set included casualty evacuation, personnel recovery, and reintegration operations. In this episode of The Spear, Sal relates the story of how he and his team were called into action in Helmand Province to assist in the recovery of the body of a Marine who stepped on a pressure-plate IED and was blown into a fast-moving mountain river.

Recovering a Downed Marine in Afghanistan

While serving as an infantry officer in the 75th Ranger Regiment, First Lieutenant Scott Filbert was deployed to Afghanistan to serve as the J1, or personnel officer, for a joint special operations task force. In this episode of The Spear, Scott describes the leadership lessons he learned along his path from West Point cadet to the Ranger Regiment and back to West Point again as an instructor, as well as the dangers of "lying to ourselves" in terms of personnel management and mission readiness.

Ranger Regiment J1 in Afghanistan

In 2005, Jeff Marshburn was a reconnaissance platoon leader in the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, in Mosul, Iraq. While leading his platoon during the battalion's first contact with the enemy, several of his troops were wounded in action. In this episode of The Spear, Jeff recounts the lessons learned from his many combat missions in Iraq, with an emphasis on trust, competence, and the value of pre-deployment training.

Danger in Mosul

In 2010 Kevin Mott's unit arrived in Afghanistan's Kunar province for a deployment that would see months of hard fighting. At one point, he was even wounded so badly—shot in the head, four fractured vertebrae, a broken leg, a torn labrum—that he was sent back to the United States for medical care. Several months later, he managed to be cleared to return to his unit in Afghanistan. After he did, the battalion conducted a mission aimed at clearing an area known to have a strong Taliban presence. Kevin shares the story of his platoon's heavy fighting as they worked their way toward their objective of Barawala Kalay.

The Battle of Barawala Kalay

In 2004, Tim Strabbing was a lieutenant and platoon commander in the Marine Corps, deployed to an area just outside Fallujah in Iraq's restive Anbar province. On his platoon's very first patrol, they were ambushed by enemy fighters, earning his Marines a baptism by fire and setting the tone for a difficult deployment ahead. He joins this episode to share the story of one particularly eventful 48-hour period.

A Marine Platoon in Anbar Province

In 2007, United States Marine Captain Kyleanne Hunter was flying an escort mission above Marines operating in western Iraq. When the Marines on the ground discovered a massive weapons cache—and a large group of armed insurgents protecting it—she found herself in a situation that challenged her as a pilot and changed the way she and her fellow Marines flew in Anbar province. She joins this episode to share the story.

Escort Mission Over Anbar

In this episode of The Spear, retired Marine officer David Berke joins to share a story from 2006, when he was a forward air controller attached to an Army unit in Ramadi, Iraq. During a movement-to-contact patrol, they began to take fire, and his job became especially important. He declared the TIC—troops in contact—and two Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornets headed their way to provide close air support. Listen as he tells the story, explaining what it's like to work with the pilots in the air to engage the enemy in support of the ground force.

Forward Air Controller in Ramadi

Air Force pararescuemen, also known as pararescue jumpers or PJs, are special operations forces known for their wide range of professional skills and for their motto, "that others may live." In this episode of The Spear, retired Air Force Master Sergeant Aaron Love joins MWI's Charlie Faint for a detailed discussion about the PJ career field. This wide-ranging conversation covers the PJ assessment and selection pipeline, the role of PJs in combat as well as in non-combat search and rescue situations, and life after military service.

Air Force PJs at War

During the Vietnam War, the 1972 Easter Offensive was a major operation launched by North Vietnam to destabilize South Vietnam and strengthen its own hand in ongoing peace talks in Paris. The offensive was particularly noteworthy due to its duration and ferocity as well as the extensive use of tanks by North Vietnam, a rarity during the Vietnam War. In this episode, retired Colonel Rick Cassidy recounts a battle and his role in it during this pivotal period, which resulted in him receiving a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal for valor.

Easter Offensive, 1972

In 2010, Maj. Tyson Walsh was a platoon leader on his first deployment. Just ten days after arriving in Afghanistan, the platoon suffered its first casualties when an IED—an improvised explosive device—killed one soldier and wounded another. Eight days later, the battalion chaplain visited the platoon's combat outpost to perform a prayer service for the soldier they had lost. Afterward, when he left, his vehicle also struck an IED, killing him and four other soldiers. It was only the beginning of a very difficult deployment, and led to leadership challenges Walsh would have to overcome.

The Most Challenging Start to a Platoon's Year in Afghanistan

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