Chariots of the Damned

The flight to the initial point was much shorter than the flight to the border. About twenty miles inside Iraq, the Pave Lows had reached the initial point. Using a predetermined signal, dropping a bundle of green chemical lights taped together, Capt Kingsley's helicopter marked the point for the following Apaches. The Paves made a sharp 180-degree turn and proceeded to the holding point to watch the show. All four Apaches pulled up on the chem lights and updated their coordinates. In their forward looking infrared (FLIR) video screens the radar sites could clearly be seen in the distance. The Apaches continued forward toward their targets. About two miles away and precisely at 0238 hours, the Apaches opened fire with their Hellfire missiles. In the FLIR videotapes, an Iraqi soldier standing guard outside can be seen running toward the site, and just as he opens the door a Hellfire impacts the building. Within seconds, the Apaches continue the attack with 2.75in rockets and 30mm rounds from their guns. The radar site explodes into a huge fireball, lighting up the desert for miles around. Simultaneously, Red team attacks the farthest site in similar fashion. Intelligence assets immediately notice the disappearance of radar signals from the sites. The men in the helicopters didn't need any reassurance that the sites were destroyed, they could see it with their own eyes. The war had started and Task Force Normandy had struck the first blow. --from Chariots of the DamnedMcKinney, Mike is the author of 'Chariots of the Damned' with ISBN 9780312989804 and ISBN 0312989806.