Paladin Zero Six: A Desert Storm Memoir by a 101st Airborne Attack Helicopter Company Commander
by Rafael J. Garcia
Category: History

From the memoir: First, there was a violent pitch forward. The canopy filed with the brown scenery of the ground below, leaving the blue sky behind. Oh, God, what happened, echoed in my ears as my backseater, unaware of why the collision had occurred, struggled to maintain control of our aircraft. I slammed myself back into the seat, locked the shoulder harness, and prepared for impact and certain death. Every warning horn blared, robbing us of even one silent moment. The impact was tremendous. Under the callsign of Paladin Zero Six, Captain Rafael J. Garcia, Jr., piloted an Apache helicopter on reconnaissance flights into Iraq during Operation Desert storm and led a range of combat missions. His battalion fired the first shots of the war on January 17, 1991, destroying the border radar sites and clearing a radar-free path to Baghdad. The author matured as a leader in discovering the gritty reality of war, the monotony of the waiting and the fatigue that accompanied the fighting.