Razor 03: A Night Stalker's Wars

by Alan C. Mack

Overview

“A truly extraordinary book by a phenomenal pilot and warrior. Alan Mack was in the thick of every sensitive, harrowing, high-stakes operation in the decade following 9/11. His account of combat from the cockpit of the world’s most exceptional special ops aviation unit and of the toll it took on him and his family is forthright, riveting, raw, compelling, and inspirational. Readers will not be able to put Razor 3 down.”
-General David H. Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA

Finalist, 2022 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards

The attacks of September 11, 2001, prompted the creation of a robust and deadly special operations force — Task Force Dagger. Alan C. Mack, Callsign Razor 03, led a team of MH-47E helicopters and armed MH-60s. Their two-fold mission – Personnel Recovery (PR) and Unconventional Warfare (UW) involved flying in terrain and weather previously not thought possible. If that wasn’t enough, they pushed the flight envelope of their specially modified Chinooks to the limit and beyond.

Mack shares his behind-the-scenes perspective of the Horse Soldier’s infill into Afghanistan. He discusses the hunt for Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora and describes his shootdown during Operation Anaconda. Years later, he chased Bowe Bergdahl, rescued hostages in Iraq, and the U.S. Navy Seal ‘Lone Survivor’ from the Kunar Valley.

Mack’s near-death experiences and frequent deployments not only affected him, but pushed his wife toward prescription opioids. Her developing addiction led to friction as he kept her secret and continued to deploy.

He lived by his unit’s motto, Night Stalkers Don’t Quit! He wouldn’t quit on his unit – he couldn’t quit on his family. His story of success, tragedy, and ultimate happiness is as old as warfare itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399018692
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	09/15/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	225,381
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

CW5 ALAN C. MACK retired from the Army as a Master Aviator. He served over 35 years in the Army, first as an aircraft mechanic then as a pilot.

He flew CH-47s in support of Operations Desert Shield and Storm. Additionally, he spent 17 years flying MH-47 Chinooks with the 160th SOAR. As a Night Stalker Flight Lead, he participated in Operations Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Enduring, and Iraqi Freedom.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 10 Air medals – 1 with ‘V,’ and a Combat Action Badge. Alan finished his career as Commander of the West Point Flight Detachment. Now he and his wife Patti live happily in New York’s Hudson Valley.

His website is www.alancmack.com

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Section I 1

Chapter 1 September 10, 2001 2

Section II 9

Chapter 2 Flight School (1989-1990) 10

Chapter 3 Desert Shield/Storm (1990-1991) 15

Chapter 4 Pushing limits - NTC and the Bermuda Triangle (1992-1993) 18

Chapter 5 Instructing at Fort Rucker (1993-1995) 24

Chapter 6 Assessment for the 160^th 28

Chapter 7 Desert Fox and the Gorst Games (1998-1999) 34

Chapter 8 The 'Bravo Project' and 'Gorst Games' - Phase two (2000-2001) 38

Section III 45

Chapter 9 Response to 9/11 (Sept 2001) 46

Chapter 10 K-2 50

Chapter 11 The Horse Soldiers 57

Chapter 12 Unconventional Warfare Continues 75

Chapter 13 Letters from Home (November 2001) 81

Chapter 14 Hindu Kush Rescue and Hypoxia (November 2001) 83

Chapter 15 QRF 90

Chapter 16 Tora Bora and the Hunt for Bin Laden (Dec 2001) 97

Chapter 17 Bagram Liberation Medal (Dec 2001) 101

Chapter 18 Christmas at Bagram (Dec 2001) 105

Chapter 19 The Tanker and the Mountain (Feb 2002) 107

Chapter 20 Lejay - SEALs vs. 160^th SOAR (February 2002) 112

Chapter 21 Operation Anaconda (March 2002) 117

Section IV 135

Chapter 22 Recovery from First Deployment summer 2002 136

Chapter 23 OEF - Back in the saddle (August - September 2002) 142

Chapter 24 A Kandahar Christmas and follow-on deployments (2002-2003) 147

Chapter 25 V22 Simulator 154

Chapter 26 C-17 ride and a tale of Desert Storm (Mid 2004) 156

Chapter 27 A New Objective (October - November 2004) 165

Chapter 28 Operation Red Wings and the Lone Survivor (2004-2005) 168

Chapter 29 Linda's parents - a disaster (2005) 179

Chapter 30 Operation Iraqi Freedom (2005-2007) 181

Chapter 31 So, my Sons don't have to… (2007) 183

Chapter 32 MH-47G sees combat (2007) 187

Section V 193

Chapter 33 Should have Quit (2008) 194

Chapter 34 The End of Normal 198

Chapter 35 Bergdahl tips the scales (2009) 200

Chapter 36 Emotional Darkness (2010) 207

Chapter 37 The Ship (2010-11) 212

Chapter 38 Attempting to Regain Control (2011) 220

Chapter 39 Nearing the edge (2012) 226

Chapter 40 Over the edge (2012) 228

Section VI 231

Chapter 41 West Point - Headed for Happiness 232

Chapter 42 Parachute Team and Executive Travel 235

Chapter 43 Happiness Found 239

Glossary 242

Editorial Reviews

"Maybe the unspoken hardest part of fighting a war is coming home. Al Mack fearlessly explores the terror and camaraderie of flying in the world’s most elite aviation unit; and the damage and costs that this inflicted upon his marriage and himself. His journey on the home front is harrowing as at the same time he puts us in the cockpit for a truly dramatic behind-the-scenes look at some of the US’s most secretive operations. Al Mack survived the wars, and then he survived what the wars did to him, and I believe he set this tale down so that others might find a way back home."

Doug Stanton

"A gritty, inside look at life as a Night Stalker – from intense combat missions
overseas to the tragic costs that lifestyle can impose on a family."

Sean Naylor

"The US Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment fields the best helicopter pilots in the world. Alan Mack was one of these intrepid “Night Stalkers,” proving his mettle through the rigors of training, endless deployments, and decades of war."

Steven Hartov

"Heart-pounding, intensely personal, emotionally draining, and the best book I have ever read about the Night Stalkers! Al Mack’s stories of courage, sacrifice and heroism of the highest order will leave you awe-struck at the kind of men who fly these machines and the families who stand beside them."

Admiral William H. McRaven

A truly extraordinary book by a phenomenal pilot and warrior. Alan Mack was in the thick of every sensitive, harrowing, high-stakes operation in the decade following 9/11. His account of combat from the cockpit of the world’s most exceptional special ops aviation unit and of the toll it took on him and his family is forthright, riveting, raw, compelling, and inspirational. Readers will not be able to put Razor 3 down.

General David H. Petraeus

"Al Mack reminds us that the blank check our service members sign to our country is drawn against their families as well. His candid memoir speaks of courage and tragedy, both on the battlefield and at home."

Taya Kyle

"Razor 03 reads like a fast-paced action novel. Alan Mack gives us the deepest dive I’ve ever read about the fantastic life of a Night Stalker. It is as much a history lesson as it is a personal confession about the extremes of life in our nation’s most esteemed aviation unit, TF 160. Razor 03 is the reminder we all need to know: our nation is safe because of the sacrifices and commitment of these brave men and women."

Matt Eversmann

"Alan Mack is the real deal, part of an elite band of ultimate aviators."

Toby Harnden

"Mack describes what it meant to serve the nation as a member of the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment."

Yonkers Times

"Razor 03 – is an incredible story hardly believable had I not witnessed it first hand."

Command Master Chief (SEAL) Britt K. Slabinski

"An enthralling combat memoir - searingly honest."

Andy Milburn

Alan Mack has lived and fought through more war than a dozen action heroes. He has rescued SEALs, helped overthrow the Taliban, and taken part in the hunt for bin Laden. He has flown through some of the worst Weather on the planet, been shot at, and crashed in worst places than Hell. But the truly unique perspective his book gives us is the personal toll war takes on the warrior and his family. His story isn’t just a page-turner – it’s a gripping emotional rollercoaster about love and loss and the painful cost to families back home. A truly heroic read.

Jim DeFelice

"Al Mack did the impossible: delivering my ODA Special Forces team past numerous Taliban defenses to start our mission after 9/11. He did a phenomenal job then, and he’s done a phenomenal job now, detailing a life filled with missions every bit as exciting and dangerous as ours. His book proves the old saying, “Nobody tells an I-was-there-story like an Army aviator."

Mark Nutsch

"The largest part of the story is about his missions in northern Afghanistan, and Mack does an excellent job of maintaining the tension. He covers the high points as well as the lows thoroughly; and a reader has a sense of—if not being there—looking over Mack’s shoulder."

The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation