NEW VIDEOS

Zack Knight

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The new operation in Afghanistan was named Freedom's Sentinel. Zack Knight was a brand new platoon leader who was told to forget guard duty, he and his men were going straight into combat ops. The rules of engagement had been loosened and they were told to go out and make contact. (3:54)

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Zack Knight's platoon was stationed at a remote camp in Kunduz Province where there was a small Green Beret contingent and a lot of unreliable Afghan Army soldiers. When bad intel led to a firefight that cost the unit its first casualties, it hit him hard because he wasn't there and he watched it unfold on remote video. (7:05)

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There were cease fires but the Taliban always did something anyway, which made a farce of the situation. The locals could be friendly and helpful, making short work of a landing pad and painting a mural. To platoon leader Zack Knight, the best were the interpreters, some of whom were killed after the disastrous American withdrawal. (5:14)

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The Taliban was warned that if they engaged in attacks during the withdrawal, the Americans would revert to combat operations. There was no response when they did, however, and platoon leader Zack Knight returned home with remorse and anger over how his Afghan allies had been abandoned. His downward spiral increased with the discovery of a hidden injury. (5:53)

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After he had to leave the service because of a health issue, Zack Knight kept busy with an array of businesses that he started, ranging from a media company to veteran related non-profits. He also channeled his energy into a book called A Legacy of Love: A Journey Of Self Mastery. (4:48)

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Why were we there? Afghanistan veteran Zack Knight recalls what a General said to him while he was there. If what he said is true, the withdrawal could be troublesome for us as well as the Afghan people. He also has some surprising ideas on leadership and a not so surprising choice of inspirational music. (2:59)

Mike Leonard

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Forward air controller Mike Leonard went up to Ban Me Thuot to help out for a few days. The first night, as he settled in with a cold beer, the radio crackled with pleas for help from a nearby special forces camp. They were under siege. Part 1 of 3. (7:28)

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You couldn't call in jet fighters to help the besieged camp because of the cloud cover. Forward air controller Mike Leonard was in the air trying to help the Americans below. Two helicopter gunships made it to the action and the pilots proceeded to ignore his instructions. When one was shot down, he used his smoke rockets as weapons and even leaned out the window of the Cessna and fired his carbine. Part 2 of 3. (7:31)

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It had been a long fight and the Bird Dog had been in the air past it's rated aloft time. Pilot Mike Leonard used every trick he knew to nurse the plane home. He had been at an action in which a downed helicopter crew had been rescued and, decades later, he got a surprising phone call that, once again, brought the incident to the forefront. Part 3 of 3. (7:40)

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Air Force pilot and FAC Mike Leonard offers his thoughts on the debate over the justification of the Vietnam war. His experiences in his combat tours, especially one incident in which he helped rescue some downed airmen, led him to write his book, An American Combat Bird Dog Pilot: From the Battlefield of Vietnam and Beyond. (5:19)