Air Force JTAC Reveals How a Secret Mission in Afghanistan Turned Out to Be a Diversion

About this video

A former Air Force JTAC recounts two combat missions from his deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. He describes a mission where his team drove three hours to support a downed helicopter and stranded QRF on an island in the Konar River, only to realize they were serving as a diversion for another operation when medevac birds flew past them heading north. He also shares details from a seven-month Afghanistan deployment in 2002, including urban combat while pursuing a target named Norah Muhammad, and how he maneuvered to secure a slot on a combat jump into northern Iraq.

Key takeaways

• The guest recounts realizing mid-mission that his team’s helicopter recovery operation was actually a diversion when medevac birds flew past them heading to a different location
• The guest describes transitioning from combat deployments back to his job as a state trooper, crediting the State Patrol for pairing him with seasoned troopers during a coaching period to ensure he managed use-of-force appropriately
• The guest explains that Apaches were his most relied-upon air support during his 2002 Afghanistan deployment, while AC-130s were unavailable due to approval requirements and F-18s spent much of their time returning to tankers

Episode details: published September 8, 2026 · 19.7K views · 18:59 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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