Air Support Operations Center airmen respond to immediate requests and preplanned missions of close-air support to defeat terrorism. This time, things went down differently than planned. As arranged, the men prepped and fired a mortar at coalition forces. They shuttled into their vehicle, certain of a smooth exit. "He squealed on his teammates, and coalition forces rounded them up." Capt. Sev Olinger What the terrorists did not count on was what happened afterward: An American fighter aircraft zoomed overhead, investigating the mortar point of origin. The pilot tracked the terrorist team in their getaway truck, simultaneously communicating with an Army...
