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One Woman's
Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan
Amber Smith
Atria Books
9/6/16/ ISBN
9781501116384
Nonfiction / Biography / Military / Iraq and Afghanistan
Reviewed
by Elise Cooper
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Danger
Close
by FOX News Consultant Amber Smith takes readers into battle
worn Iraq and Afghanistan. People will learn about the world
of an Army Kiowa Helicopter pilot who engaged in high intensity
warfare. One of only a few women to fly this helicopter her
missions were armed reconnaissance, and support for those fighting
on the ground.
People might question why she appeared to sidestep addressing
military gender politics. But in actuality, through some of
her examples, she did bring up the gender issue. What she did
not do is hit readers over the head, instead allowing them to
form their own opinions and impressions. Her view, there needs
to be a mission standard and not a gender standard, comes through
loud and clear. Through her own exemplary actions she showed
that it should not matter if someone is male or female, showing
that her sex did not matter in her performance of the job and
contribution to the mission. She noted, “I chose to never
make being a woman as an excuse. I felt I was a good pilot who
had the attitude to my male peers, ‘get over yourselves.
I am here whether you like it or not.’ I consider being
a Kiowa pilot an amazing part of my life including having the
brotherhood and sisterhood.”
Interestingly there were three examples that readers can interpret
about the possibility of some form of sexism involved. The first
was with a peer who actually threatened to hit her. She took
it in stride and never backed down. But can this be interpreted
that she was actually accepted as an equal since he was not
afraid to “hit a woman.”
The other two incidents probably do have sexism play a role.
She was grounded and not put on a flight schedule because her
superiors did not think she “could handle it,” even
though other newbies were flying. She eventually received orders
to fly after the Iraqis voted on the referendum, the day Iraqis
voted on their Constitution. The other incident involved an
accident where her helicopter was hit while on the ground, after
landing. Again she was grounded while the male pilot who had
committed the accident was already back up and flying. Eventually,
she was cleared to go after some senior warrants in her unit
had defended her.
She commented, “I should have never been put through it.
I did not put this in the book, but one of those who ruled on
the accident was the person who later did a check flight with
me. He felt guilty and maybe he realized he was wrong about
putting me through the mud, something that should never have
been done. As I say in the book, ‘The false accusation
and witch hunt had changed me. I no longer trusted that my unit
leadership would have my back if something bad happened that
was out of my control…whether they will become an internal
target for doing their job.’”
But more than anything readers will understand the untold story
of the Kiowa warrior and the importance to those fighting on
the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan. This job can be compared
to a western. The pilots called themselves the “air cavalry,”
where they scouted the enemy, the horses were the helicopters,
and the Stetson cowboy hats were their helmets.
Two incidents potently drove the point home of their duties
of reconnaissance and protection. Her co-pilot, on a mission,
had him questioning whether to take off and fly in support of
a ground unit. She considered it “lazy and extremely selfish.
It is just not what you do to say ‘someone else should
pick it up.’ It is so far out of the norm for the rest
of the Kiowa pilots and how we operated.”
The other mission had the command refusing to give clearance
even though no friendlies were present. Although low on fuel
she and her co-pilot wanted to engage the enemy who was burying
a mortar shell for an IED. Because of the command’s indecisiveness
they almost crashed with a low fuel count, and the enemy escaped
with a weapon that could have cost lives as they were allowed
to fight another day. She noted, “The route was IED alley.
Bad guys should have been taken out. It was a bad decision,
the inaction. Afterward everyone received a re-education.”
Danger Close is a war story that is about a brave pilot
who happened to be female. The reader is taken into the cockpit
as she explores the vivid and harrowing world of a combat helicopter
pilot.
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