Soldier of the Week – USMC Lt. Col. Brian M. Kennedy

By Brian J Arthurs
Investor’s Business Daily
October 26, 2009

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Challenges hit the Marines ahead of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Many, like Brian Kennedy, had just traveled from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Kuwait.

In his case, he had gone by sea along with the Cobra helicopter he would pilot. When he reached the Persian Gulf, he faced harsh weather and other conditions he couldn’t replicate in prewar training.

For Kennedy and his fellow Marines, they would need bravery and a commitment to purpose.

Kennedy, a major at the time, was among the first to fire on the Iraq War’s opening day. He piloted his Cobra in support of the Marines advancing through safe lines identified on the ground to avoid land mines set by the enemy.

“The weather conditions were very challenging,” said Kennedy, now a lieutenant colonel. “The wind-swept sand floated in the air, making the sky and the ground the same color.”

As ground forces advanced on enemy targets from March 20 to April 14, 2003, Kennedy and his team of Cobras targeted enemy weapons installations.

On March 20’s start of the war, plans called for Kennedy to lead four Cobras in support of a nighttime mission. But plans changed.

The word came down for Kennedy and his team to get airborne and provide cover before dark. Flying at dusk meant the night-vision gear would be less effective. Now the pilots had to follow chopper instruments to guide them at dangerously low levels in poor visibility.

Fog Of War

The view was so poor, the helicopters had to turn on their exterior lights to make them visible to one another — and to the enemy.

“We were facing mostly small-arms fire, anti-aircraft fire,” Kennedy told IBD. “But we also saw some RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) that looked like flying roman candles through night vision and (also looked like) a surface-to-air missile, but mostly machine guns.”

Kennedy recalls that for all the artillery fired his way, the biggest threat that night wasn’t Iraqi forces, but the possibility of running into the ground or another Cobra.

“Night One was undoubtedly the worst conditions I’ve ever flown in,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the Marines achieved their objective.

Three days later, Kennedy embarked on a mission that would last 12 hours. He led his section over a battlefield near the Rumaylah oil field, just across the border from Kuwait, that the Iraqis defended with artillery and small-arms fire.

The Cobras had to cut through haze because of oil smoke and burning Iraqi equipment. Kennedy flew two hours at a time, returning to base camp only to resupply and refuel. He never left the cockpit.

“You’re just not thinking about the time it takes to refuel and re-equip,” said Kennedy. “(There’s) no way you’re going to say no to a mission and let down a fellow Marine on the ground trying to find his way through a breach in the minefields. We pushed the limits to make sure we helped our fellow Marines on the ground.”

Again, Marine forces advanced in these crucial opening days.

Teamwork was crucial to more Kennedy success in battle. On March 28, he and his team provided invaluable support to their allies.

While the British army’s 7th Armored Brigade maneuvered to take Basra, Kennedy and other U.S. air support forces engaged Iraqi troops, again from low altitude in minimal visibility. The combined effort helped the coalition prevail.

Kennedy kept coming. According to his fellow servicemen, his flights decimated eight artillery positions and an enormous artillery stash.

The biggest hits landed on April 5. Kennedy and his team destroyed the Iraqis’ last remaining ballistic missile system. These systems had the capability of delivering chemical weapons against allied forces stationed in Kuwait.

This mission was especially harrowing. If flying at night and through smoke from burning oil fields wasn’t bad enough, Kennedy had to pilot his Cobra at just 300 feet so he could see the ground. Then there were surrounding tension wires suspended at 500 feet.

“We flew on instruments only while we were (higher) in the smoke clouds,” Kennedy said. “And when we knew we were clear of the wires, we would drop straight down in order to see the city so we could prosecute the targets.”

His fellow Marines were impressed by Kennedy’s cool and attention to detail. “He never tried to do too much,” said his co-pilot, Capt. Dennis Pyszczymuka. “He always spent the time needed to prepare in advance for his missions. He was very proactive. He always wanted to know what you had to say. He wouldn’t just make a snap decision, even when it was his to make.”

For his heroics, Kennedy received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, a top military honor.

“What impressed me most about (Lt. Col.) Kennedy was his calm demeanor,” said Maj. Lee Mayer, who piloted another Cobra in the section. “He never let the rush of combat affect his judgment. He always did the right thing.”

Kennedy served another tour in Iraq in 2005. By then, the enemy had morphed from an organized military force into one of terrorists often hiding in the shadows.

He says it made for a significant tactical change for the Marines. Rather than having direct engagements, combat required more intelligence gathering to root out an enemy trying to blend in with the citizenry.

College And Corps

Kennedy, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1989 after graduating from Ohio State University. He was eager to try something difficult, where the outcome “was not preordained.”

His interest in aviation had been piqued at an early age. He worked at an airport with his dad, doing everything from pumping gas to washing planes and cutting grass runways.

When Kennedy entered flight school in 1990, Desert Storm was on the horizon. He says he selected the Cobra because it seemed like the most rewarding mission.

Now 43 and near his 20th year in the Marines, Kennedy is the executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group 39 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He’s passing along his knowledge to the Marines’ new aviators.

Kennedy’s Keys

• Bravely led a team of four Cobra helicopters supporting Marine forces in the opening days of the Iraq War, battling the enemy and harsh weather, smoke and fire.

• “Calm, like panic, is contagious. Stay calm.”

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