Hey, Scuttlebutt listeners. Thank you for joining us. This week Vic sits down with Col Eric “Ferris” Buer, former Cobra pilot and author of the book, Ghosts of Baghdad: Marine Corps Gunships on the Opening Days of the Iraq War. As the title suggests, his book looks at the war in Iraq from 2003-2004 from the perspective of a Cobra pilot supporting troops on the ground. His perspectives were really interesting because most of the narratives coming out of the Long War have either been from the ground or from fixed-wing aviators. It’s embarrassing to admit that his point of view from the cockpit was a perspective from our operations during the Long War that haven’t been highlighted, especially considering that many of us owe our current existence to the actions of rotary-wing close air support. Being that he and his rotary-wing brethren are so inextricably linked to ground maneuver and thus exposed to a threat level, and quite frankly, a grit level that many of the fixed-wing community are not, his experiences and views on the war are fascinating.

Enjoy!

The post Scuttlebutt Ep 112: Ghosts of Baghdad with Col Eric “Ferris” Buer, USMC (Ret) first appeared on Marine Corps Association.