Afghanistan's 'Angel of Death' is retiring from Air Force special ops

MSN.com ^ | February 23, 2024 | Matt White

[Twotone]

The woman whose call-for-fire transmissions over post-9/11 battlefields earned her the nickname “the Angel of Death” relinquished her final command in the Air Force Friday.

Col. Allison Black turned over command of the 1st Special Operations Wing at a change of command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida on Friday and plans to retire later this year, according to the Air Force. Black’s 32-year career in the Air Force began as an enlisted survival instructor, teaching field skills and ground evasion tactics to aircrew, and finishes with command of the wing long at the hub of the service’s special operations forces.

But it was during the battle for Kunduz, Afghanistan in late 2001 that Black, then a 1st Lt., became “the Angel of Death” over the first battlefields after 9/11, carving a legacy in Air Force and special warfare history, along with a memorable milestone for women in modern combat.

Just weeks after 9/11, Black was on her first combat flight as a navigator on an AC-130 gunship, flying toward the Afghan city of Kunduz. In the darkness below was “Tiger 02,” the callsign for Special Forces ODA 595, a dozen Green Berets who would soon be known as "the horse soldiers.” As part of Task Force Dagger’s assault on the Taliban, the team fought its way across Afghanistan on horseback.

But as Black’s crew raced toward Kunduz, Tiger 02 was outnumbered by a determined Taliban force gathering in a nearby compound.

[fidelis]

The truck on the road pulled into a compound, where Black's crew saw close to 30 fighters. With approval from Tiger 02, the AC-130 fired 400 rounds of 40mm and 200 rounds of 105mm cannon fire into the compound. As the rounds impacted, at least 200 more fighters emerged from the buildings...

Great story. Dealing out death from above. Go Air Force!

[chud]

From the article:

Over the next two decades, Black racked up over 2,000 hours of combat missions, commanded a squadron of U-28 Draco special operations planes and served as senior leadership with Air Force Special Operations Command before assuming command of the 1st SOW at Hurburt.

“That story started in 2001, just by me being a part of a great crew and my role just happened to be on the radios,” she told the Air Force. “I was just trying to do my job. But I realize the impact that's had. I've had Afghan women who are now in the United States had heard that tale."

[dragnet2]

It’s too bad we don’t win anything in these globalist wars except extreme debt and death.