When A-10 Warthogs Battled to Save A Friend

In April 2003, in Baghdad, a raging sandstorm engulfs the battlefield as two A-10 Warthog pilots, Donk and Billy Bob, launch into a desperate mission. On the ground, their friend and fellow pilot “Coke” is serving as a forward air controller, fighting to survive long enough to make it home for the birth of his first child.

With a U.S. armored unit surrounded and running out of ammunition, Donk and Billy Bob throw the rulebook aside and dive straight into the chaos. Braving relentless anti-aircraft fire, they risk everything to protect their brother in arms.

Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed by the strength of the allied coalition, but not every battle was easy. In April 2003, near Baghdad, a U.S. armored column, Task Force 2-69, encountered serious trouble.

At the Muthanna Bridge, they clashed with an Iraqi force equipped with T-72 main battle tanks, armored infantry vehicles, and anti-aircraft guns. To make matters worse, a fierce sandstorm cut off much of the allied air support, leaving the American unit to face the fight largely on its own.

Within the U.S. armored column was an A-10 pilot, John “Coke” Blocher, temporarily serving as a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller). From the ground, Coke’s job was to coordinate and direct air support for the embattled troops, even as he fought to stay alive himself. Beyond his duty, he carried a deeply personal hope, making it home in time for the birth of his first child.

In the midst of this desperate situation, when the column was low on ammunition and surrounded by enemy fire, two fellow A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots, Raymond “Donk” Strasburger and Greg “Billy Bob” Thornton, answered the call. Flying into dangerous conditions, they executed a close air support mission that pushed their training, courage, and the rugged limits of the Warthog itself.

For their extraordinary actions that day, Raymond “Donk” Strasburger and Greg “Billy Bob” Thornton were awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. military’s third-highest decoration for valor in combat, recognizing the immense risks both men took as they repeatedly dove into hostile fire to protect their comrades on the ground.

Flying low and slow in their A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, Donk and Billy Bob pressed their attacks through a blinding sandstorm, fully aware that the conditions left them dangerously exposed to enemy anti-aircraft fire. Yet they continued, strike after strike, buying precious time for Task Force 2-69 to regroup and survive against overwhelming odds. Their courage was not only an act of duty but also of deep loyalty to their fellow airman “Coke” Blocher, stranded with the armored column, and to the soldiers who depended on them.