W2OE_Spike

[ARCTIK KLuTCH]

So you're considered Special Operations correct? The only 2 AF jobs I've seen working with ODA Teams myself were the Controllers/JTAC and the Weather guys. Though, we never saw them out on the joint missions/raids with the ODA guys but the JTAC was ALWAYS there lol.

[SpikeTheNewb]

No I am not in a SOF billet. Most JTACs are full of shit btw, those dudes sit in a fire cell, work 8 hour shifts down range, and say they are super high speed tactical ninjas.

[ARCTIK KLuTCH]

Well, I know for a fact in Mosul they called in CAS for the ODA guys my Infantry Platoon was paired with (we had a LT that served almost 11 years in SF and once he hit MSGT he switched to Officer to get his CPT bars, so he scored us tons of awesome gear from them and missions.....he's still my friend 6 hours south in Anchorage, he did go back to Group and served for 2 deployments and now is retiring as a Major). The JTAC guys were also lways out on the missions with SF, they could be day missions or a week+. They wore the highspeed gear and little patches but basically sat in the gun trucks unless CAS was needed. I am not saying they are bad ass door kickers or Chris Kyle like, but they did leave the wire. The PJs were always cool, they didn't engage unless it was from their Medevac gunships but they saved a lot of lives out there.

[SpikeTheNewb]

When were you at Mosul? I was there 2x...once awhile ago and once really really recently

[SpikeTheNewb]

I give JTACs a hard time cause I work with them, no matter what job you have in the service it is def a needed asset or the service wouldnt have it.

[ARCTIK KLuTCH]

Exactly, in the Army everyone serves the needs of the SF/Rangers/Infantry, lmao. I was in Mosul from 2005-2006 with time spent at Marez and split time at a COP with SF south of Mosul and moved to Tal-Afar for a little siege while. I was part of the infamous 172nd Stryker Brigade that was extended while we had half of the guys already back in Fairbanks, guys in route from Kuwait, Ireland, etc, and my half of the Battalion was in the PAX Terminal waiting for our C-130 that pulled up and we got on and right back off followed by 3 days of nothing sitting at FOB Sykes in Tal-Afar until CNN put out we were extended before WE knew. Went to Baghdad for an extra 4 months, 1 of which we didn't have a half of our guys. It was screwed up. Then I visited briefly in 2009 when we sent a group up there from the Brigade deployment all over Baqubah and the Diyala Province. Been putting a trip over there with my old Kurdish friends on hold for my son.....so hard not to go back to fight ISIS and get Mosul back. So much blood, sweat, and tears spilled there.

[SpikeTheNewb]

I was there in 09-10 and just recently got back from there in May. 09-10 was kind of boring, minus the daily indirect fire that we had to deal with. All I did was help get Apache's scrambled so they could put rockets in someone's ass. Can't talk about the recent one just yet, but it was more entertaining then the first time.

[ARCTIK KLuTCH]

2005-2006 was pretty active in Mosul. We arrived at the end of the final push to reclaim the fallen city, as with Tal Afar. Just like everyone thinks the "Surge" was in 2007, yet we went to Baghdad and searched, cleared, and served as Baghdad's QRF for the ENTIRE city and fought daily with our ONE Brigade until the Surge arrived. But it was a fun time minus the extra casualties taken, but I have my son to support and stay alive for.....fighting there now costs you money and no pay. So I keep all of my ammo, body armor/kit, weapons with my ACR and SCARH(.308) for when something happens here.

[SpikeTheNewb]

I feel you man. ISIS wasn't able to attack us this last time. They were too afraid to come out of their houses most of the time, if they did....BOOM!!!! So even this last time was pretty boring, but I had a good time helping the Kurds rebuild their forces and helping them take back a good chunk of their land.

[SpikeTheNewb]

Just got to my training location, no net in my room. So I will jump on the site via my cell phone when I have the chance.

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