Ep. 200- Leaving Afghanistan: Lessons from HKIA feat. PJs Sean & Chris

Send us Fan MailAfghanistan's Hamid Karzai International Airport, or HKIA, was the center of the world's attention following the announcement of America's retrograde from Afghanistan over the course of 2021. The images we saw- desperate civilians throwing children over the wall into the arms of Marines and Airmen. The terrifying images of the aftermath of the attack at Abbey Gate. Videos of desperate Afghanis falling from aircraft in their last ditch attempt to escape the Taliban for anywhere other than Afghanistan. It is a time that has been burned into the brains of all American Service Members. Recently, Congress started hearing some accounts of what happened over the course of those 4 months. From the breakdown in the chain of command to the lack of support, to the tragedy of losing 13 Americans in a mass casualty event- even 2 years later, this event has captivated the hearts, minds and attention of of the American Public. Finally, the Pararescue Team Senior Enlisted Leader, Sean, and Team Sergeant, Chris, are here to tell their story of exactly what happened in the lead up to the event, exactly what happened in the most unsure time in all of the Global War on Terror, and the days and weeks that followed. In the end, 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses were awarded to the pilots, crew chiefs, loadmasters maintaners and support personnel for their support to Operation ALLIES REFUGE. However, the ground team- who were credited with the rescue and movement of tens of thousands of cvilians- recieved far less recognition. At the time of this writing, the highest medal bestowed on the ground team is a Bronze Star with Valor, and only two of them. The struggle continues at the highest levels to recognize their sacrifices appropriately. Thank you doesn't begin to encapsulate how appreciative the Ones Ready team is for Sean and Chris taking this time to highlight just how capable, relevant, valiant and professional the Air Force's Rescue Community is- but thank you is the best we can do, and we mean it sincerely.  What was your favorite part of the podcast? Drop them in the comments! 00:00 Greymangear.com and Eberlestock.com04:40 Intros and Welcome 08:07 Lead up to HKIA from Chris 15:30 Kunduz, Helmand and Impending doom 18:30 Who do you call when no one is there?23:45 July JTE 29:30 Getting the HKIA mission and Relationships matter 38:45 After the JTE 51:20 Start of NEO and Buying Local Bikes 1:04:00 The start of Alamo Planning 1:10:00 The first PR incident 1:20:00 Kabul has fallen and August 13th on 1:27:30 HKIA is Breached 1:37:00 See work, do work- outside the wire 1:46:00 Aaron ruins the best story with short jokes and makes Sean mad 1:53:00 Saving lives from texts and non-standard PR2:03:00 Trust and intimacy on the teams 2:09:00 Rescue of Aria, relationships, and Abbey Gare 2:17:30 Abbey gate, cracks in the foundation, and losing Max 2:31:30 Moving on and finding the exit 2:43:00 Fighting for Recognition 2:45:00 62 AW shoutout#Afghanistan  #HKIA #podcast  The views and opinions expressed by the OnesReady team and Sean and Chris are those of the team and themselves. and do not reflect the official policy or position of the DoD. Any content provided by our Podcast guests, bloggers, sponsors, or authors is their opinion and is not intended to malign the DoD, any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone.Support the showJoin this channel to get access to perks: HEREBuzzsprout Subscription page:  HERERegister for our Operator Training Summit:  OperatorTrainingSummit.comFind an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.comCollabs:Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code:  ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code):  ATACLeteDanger Close Apparel - Promo Code:  ONESREADYDFND Apparel...