We’re excited to bring on Amber Smith for this episode, not only a former Army helicopter pilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan flying the Kiowa Warrior, but also former Deputy Assistant for Outreach to none other than General Mattis, and we get into all of that. We also get Smith’s take on fellow pilot Tammie Jo Shults’ emergency one engine landing on Southwest Airlines this past week. Though it resulted in a tragic death and several injuries, Smith contends that the repercussions could have been far worse without the cool-headed Navy veteran in the cockpit. Amber’s book “Danger Close” details her combat missions, and Jack noticed in reading the memoir that they served in Tal Afar, Iraq around the same time. Other topics covered with Amber include the civilian/military divide (something she’s addressed while working for the DOD) and what the future holds for the possibility of women in special operations.

We cover the news of Raul Castro stepping down as leader of Cuba, as well as our disgust over 7th Special Forces Group veteran William Mrozek being arrested for heinous sexual crimes against children. We answer your emails sent to [email protected], which leads to an interesting discussion on Turkey as well. Also, be sure to check out our raffle on SOFREP.com benefiting The Special Children’s Center in NYC, providing services to families of 450 children with developmental disabilities. Our mission here at Hurricane Group has always involved helping those in need through charity, and we hope to see you get involved and in the process try to win some great gear, along with an excellent book from our very own John Stryker Meyer.