Title: ‘Danger Close’ Focuses On The Kiowa's Crucial Role In Iraq And Afghanistan - Task & Purpose
Headings: ‘Danger Close’ Focuses On The Kiowa’s Crucial Role In Iraq And Afghanistan
‘Danger Close’ Focuses On The Kiowa’s Crucial Role In Iraq And Afghanistan
What do you think the Kiowa brings to the battlefield that other helicopters do not?
What is it like to get shot at when you’re in a Kiowa? Do you hear the rounds?
What was it like flying in Iraq versus flying in Afghanistan? Did it require some adjustment?
When you joined the military as a Kiowa pilot, did you do so hoping to see combat?
What would you say to an 18-year-old woman who is thinking about joining the Army as a Kiowa pilot?
Why the title “Danger Close”?
What do you hope civilian readers take away from this book?
Do you hope it will influence the conversation around women in combat in any way?

Content: But to many of those who’ve served on the line in Iraq or Afghanistan over the years, the Kiowa looks like something else: a bad day for the enemy. First introduced in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, the Kiowa found its true calling on the post-9/11 battlefield. In both the claustrophobic urban centers of Iraq and the lush hinterlands of Afghanistan, it proved extremely useful — and lethal — as a nimble, low-flying attack helo armed with a .50 cal, a few missiles or rockets, and, most importantly, two pilots with balls of steel. Author Amber Smith was one of those pilot. Amber SmithPhoto courtesy of Simon and Schuster
From 2003 to 2010, Smith served with the 101st Airborne’s 2-17 Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and deployed twice — first to Iraq in 2005, and then to eastern Afghanistan in 2008. Her military career is the focus of her new memoir, “Danger Close: My Epic Journey As A Combat Helicopter Pilot In Iraq And Afghanistan,” which hit shelves on Sept 6. Having joined the Army in the early days of the Global War On Terror, Smith’s entrance into military aviation preceded the opening of combat arms positions to women by more than a decade. And while “Danger Close” certainly makes a strong case for gender integration in the military, it does so only by example.