A member of the 550th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), a training unit based out of Kirtland Air Force Base, Major David Diehl deployed to Incirlik, Turkey, from November to December 2001 as part of a crew of instructors tasked with flying infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and then "bringing those lessons learned back to the schoolhouse." Working with members of the 7th and 15th SOS and supporting U.S. Special Operations Forces on the ground in Afghanistan, Diehl - who piloted an MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft - racked up more than 55 combat hours in 10 days and was part of a unit that airdropped 56 bundles equaling over 94,000 pounds of war supplies into five different drop zones during the height of hostilities. In this interview, he discusses predeployment and deployment issues, mid-air refuelings, countermeasures taken to avoid small arms and anti-aircraft artillery fire, as well as the mechanics and execution of an innovative maneuver he and his crew devised in country that simulated a max-effort landing and allowed them to rapidly fall from 10,000 to 500 feet, release their bundles, and get in and out of an enemy-infested area safely. “It’s a great thing to instruct guys that are going to war,” Diehl said, “but from a personal level, everybody wants to get involved, it’s just nature of the beast. So having the opportunity to go and get involved, contribute, and bring those lessons back,” he added, “was fantastic. “

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