When the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked on 11 September 2001, the 8th was propelled into Operation Enduring Freedom in late 2001. The squadron was nearly completely deployed, operating from several locations in Afghanistan simultaneously to unseat the Taliban rulers and install the interim government. The 8th supported operations by resupplying special operations forces operators in the field, refueling helicopters, and landing at short unprepared fields all over the country. When Operation Iraqi Freedom kicked off in 2003, the 8th was once again at the forefront. Its crews were some of the first to cross the border as hostilities began. Such a high operations tempo led to the 8th SOS being the Air Force's most deployed active-duty squadron in 2002 and 2003.