Air Force JTAC Calls In Massive Strikes With 10th Group in Iraq

About this video

A former Air Force JTAC recounts his experience as an E-Baylor (enlisted battalion air liaison officer) during the 2003 Iraq invasion, including the combat jump with the 173rd Airborne Brigade into northern Iraq. He describes chaotic jump conditions resulting in injuries, linking up with 10th Special Forces Group, and calling in airstrikes against Iraqi forces near Kirkuk. The guest also shares discovering the wreckage of an F-15E Strike Eagle and later learning one of the pilots killed was his Air Force Academy classmate.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes being assigned as an E-6 enlisted airman to fill a captain/major-level E-Baylor role due to Air Force pilot shortages, creating tension with rank-conscious Army units.
• The guest recounts sustaining injuries during a nighttime combat jump into Iraq, then coordinating massive airstrikes including cluster munitions and JSOWs while embedded with 10th Special Forces Group.
• The guest shares recovering remains from a downed F-15E Strike Eagle and years later discovering one of the pilots was his Air Force Academy classmate, Eric Doss.

Episode details: published September 2, 2026 · 18K views · 22:13 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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