But, you're also writing the lyrics for the song, playing the song, and you're orchestrating the song," Englen explained. "That means you're in charge of not just your aircraft, you're in charge of the flight: responsible for the flight planning, execution, and orchestration. Not only was Englen the MH-47 (a special operations version of a Chinook helicopter, a multi-role assault aircraft) pilot, he was also the flight lead, which means he’s among the top 10 percent of the aviators in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. “I’m telling it to you,” he told Military Times recently, “because there’s never been an accurate air piece conveyed on what happened that night." The bin Laden operation is merely one of numerous classified missions he’s participated in which the public knows little about.
“There truly are few people of this 9/11 generation that have been as heroic and as courageous as Doug Englen,” McRaven added, without revealing any specifics. Doug pulled my fat out of the fire more times than I can think of,” McRaven said at a speech at Murray State College in February, a month before Englen retired. “ He is, without a doubt, the finest Army aviator of our generation. McRaven - the overall commander of the bin Laden mission - encouraged him to, calling him “an American hero.” He’s only venturing into the light because former CIA Director Leon Panetta and retired Navy Adm. (Courtesy of Doug Englen)Įnglen is sharing his story for the first time - and possibly the last, since he lives by the “quiet professionals” code, and avoids discussing his life in the shadows. This photo shows inside the back of MH-47, a space for maneuver of ground forces & equipment. “We absolutely can get shot down on the way back, which means we have to evade,” Englen said.ĬW5 Doug Englen documents his last flight in the Army. Loiter, for up to an hour, in an area that could shoot you down at any time, they possibly could think it's an aircraft from India," Englen said.Īnd getting back safely was even more difficult because, by then, the Pakistani military was alerted. We're the ones that have to make sure we can get the ground force in, where they need to go. We're the ones that have to elude the air defense, early warning network. "We're the ones that are penetrating into a sovereign nation.
And, of course, one of the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters crashed. While the risk was high for the ground forces during the 38 minutes they were actually on the ground at bin Laden’s compound, the risk for the helicopters during the rest of almost four hours of flying was extreme.
#WE WERE FLYING LOW AND HIT SOMETHING IN THE AIR LYRICS CODE#
When most people think of the bin Laden mission, they think of SEAL Team 6 and the CIA’s Special Activities Division members, shooting its high value target, code named “Geronimo.” What they may not realize is the majority of duration of that mission belonged to the special operations aviators. 160th SOAR aviators rarely speak about their missions or careers, because the majority is spent supporting Tier 1 operators on covert or clandestine operations. In reality Englen, who just retired as the senior warrant adviser to the secretary of the Army and most decorated aviator in the Army, led the air component for the bin Laden raid, one of the most famous military operations in recent history. The fuse was ready to blow up the crashed helicopter.Įnglen flying MH47 on training exercise. Just as Englen was about to land, the team master chief told him over the radio to break away. As he came in fast to pick up the ground force and air crew, he saw the downed helicopter. Blue police lights don’t show up in night vision goggles, so Englen looked under his goggles to see those blue lights.įrom getting the call, Englen was there less than 10 minutes after the aircraft crash. He could see where the police lights were, where the commotion was happening. When he flew over Abbottabad, it felt as familiar as flying over his hometown of Clarksville, Tennessee. He knew exactly where everything was he didn’t need a map. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)Įnglen had studied the area around bin Laden’s compound for months.
raid last May in the garrison town of Abbottabad, police and witnesses said. Pakistani security forces began demolishing the compound where bin Laden was killed in a covert U.S. Local residents watch ongoing demolition of the compound where al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was slain last year in the northwestern town of Abbottabad on Feb.