"America had a secret weapon," writes Steve Call of the period immediately following September 11, 2001, as planners contemplated the invasion of Afghanistan. This weapon consisted of small teams of Special Forces operatives trained in close air support (CAS) who, in cooperation with the loose federation of Afghan rebels opposed to the Taliban regime, soon began achieving impressive-and unexpected-military victories over Taliban forces and the al-Qaeda terrorists they had sponsored. The astounding success of CAS tactics coupled with ground operations in Afghanistan soon drew the attention.

Front Cover; Contents; List of Illustrations; Preface; List of Air Force Ranks and Abbreviations; Prologue; Part 1-Afghanistan; 1. Th e Challenge Is Clear-and Daunting; Afghanistan; 2. Integrating the Special Forces-Close Air Support Team; Lt. Col. George Bochain; S.Sgt. Ed Shulman; 3. Th e Fall of the Taliban Regime; M.Sgt. Tim Stamey; 4. Operation Anaconda; Operation Anaconda; S.Sgt. Stephen Achey; T.Sgt. John "Vic" McCabe; S.Sgt. Christopher Spann; 5. Just Another Day in Afghanistan; M.Sgt. John Knipe; Part 2-Iraq; 6. A Controversial Invasion in a Context of Controversy. Lt. Col. Byron H. Risner7. "Our Business Now Is North"; Iraq; S.Sgt. John Stockman; T.Sgt. Mike Keehan and Senior Airman Trevor Bradford; 8. A Tale of Two Bridges; S.Sgt. Mike Shropshire; 9. Through the Gap, across the Bridge, and on to Baghdad; 10. The Thunder Runs; The Thunder Runs; S.Sgt. Jon Pinson; 11. The Scud Hunt and Operations in Western Iraq; 12. The Drive from the North; Conclusion; Appendix: People Interviewed; Glossary; Index; Back Cover