This week, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America announced the appointment of Kyleanne Hunter as the organization’s new CEO. A Marine Corps veteran, she joined The Spear in 2021, while serving as a professor of military and strategic studies at the United States Air Force Academy, to share a story from one of her several deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot.
In 2007, Marines in western Iraq began actively patrolling areas near the Syrian border in an effort to stem a suspected flow of insurgents and arms from Syria into Anbar. Above them was then Captain Hunter in an AH-1W Super Cobra. At the time, flying was easier in this area than in other parts of the country. There were fewer troops-in-contact events, fewer medical evacuation escort missions, and a strong relationship with the Marines on the ground. After months of flying in contested airspace above Ramadi and Fallujah, the change in pace was a welcome relief—until one night when Marines uncovered the largest weapons cache they had found to date and wound up in a significant firefight.
Hunter is not used to feeling uncertain about what to do. But that’s how she felt that night over western Iraq. Aggressive, confident, and competent, she described that night as “the first time I really remember myself hesitating pulling a trigger.” How she reacted is the subject of our story in this episode.
You can listen to the full conversation below, and if you aren’t already subscribed to The Spear, please be sure to do so on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app.
Note: This episode was originally released in 2021.
Image credit: Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone, US Marine Corps