On Oct. 8, 2013, five US Air Force advisors climbed aboard an Afghan Mi-17 helicopter for what was supposed to be a routine mission. The flight ended as anything but, with the Air Force team racing against time to save the life of a grievously wounded colleague. For their actions that day the US personnel involved were all submitted for the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor. Troop movement and resupply was the plan. Long flights over desert and rough terrain are common in Afghanistan, where forward operating bases are often scattered far from central depots, and that is what the operation that day entailed. Two Mi-17s were to ferry Afghan National Army commandos from their central provincial base to a forward operating station in the lush Gizab valley. The number of troops involved meant that both helicopters would have to make two trips.
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