Not since Michael Durant wrote about his deployment to and missions in Somalia and his capture by Somali militia in 1993, has there been a book written by a TF-160 SOAR Night Stalker attack helo pilot.

Two books authored by Michael Durant.

Now, after generations, we can read first-hand accounts of Greg Coker, a pilot who spent eight years in combat in the Levant — a man who was present for the combat actions for both D-Day in Afghanistan and Iraq and for every engagement afterward. If one thinks that Greg Coker did a bit more than a man’s fair share in war, that thought is not only correct but also an understatement.

Greg’s stories about the seizure of the Haditha Dam — the largest single combat action of the Iraqi war — and D-Day Afghanistan on objective Gecko are but two monumental stories that he has already shared with SOFREP’s audience. When coupled with the story of the shootdown of his helicopter by a Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM), SOFREP got a trifecta of non-fictional combat accounts.

When Greg indicated that he had so many other stories to tell, enough that could likely fill an entire book, I was skeptical. Yes, I tell you: I had some doubts about whether he could possibly have any more stories as riveting as the above three. When Greg asked me to ghostwrite the book for him I said I would do it, but I was not really convinced that he would ever really produce much.

I recall telling a friend that I had agreed to ghostwrite for Greg. I immediately got an odd question:

“Did you just say you would or did you actually promise to do it…?”

Ok, lesson in morals time: Did my friend mean that I could get off the ghostwriting task through the technicality that I had not hooked pinky fingers with Greg Coker and said, “I promise to ghost”? Are we not men here anymore? When an adult says they will do something they must do it or accept the loss of personal credibility.

A pinky-promise in action — that would probably be Greg’s arm there on the right…

When Greg started hammering me with one and two chapters a day, I knew he was serious, and I knew that I was then the official holdup of Greg’s magnificent story. I pushed the writing of my own book well aside to concentrate on Greg’s story.