{"id":18711,"date":"2020-04-21T20:23:27","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T20:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/21\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:45:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:45:30","slug":"american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/04\/21\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\/","title":{"rendered":"American troops had only hours to react to Iranian ballistic missile attack. Here\u2019s what they did."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the end, I said a prayer and asked God to guide my actions and protect my troops,\u201d Lt. Col. Staci Coleman, the commander of 443 Air Expeditionary Squadron, at al-Asad air base in Iraq, said recounting Iran\u2019s January <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/09\/this-is-what-its-like-to-survive-a-deadly-rocket-attack-in-iraq\/\" target=_blank>ballistic missile <\/a>strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI resolved to place the fate of my team in His hands and I refocused my attention on executing the plan,\u201d Coleman said in her account of the attack released by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afcent.af.mil\/Portals\/82\/American%20Airmen's%20Accounts%20of%20Iranian%20Missile%20Attacks\/American%20Airmen's%20Accounts%20of%20Iranian%20Missile%20Attack_Jan2020_35MB.pdf?ver=2020-04-07-025930-227\" target=_blank>U.S. Air Forces Central Command<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. service members stationed on two Iraqi airbases at al-Asad and Erbil had only hours to react to an incoming barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles launched early in the morning on Jan. 8, 2020, according to a report released by AFCENT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While no U.S. troops were killed in the attack, more than 100 U.S. troops have been treated for traumatic brain injury, but the damage could have been far worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force assessed \u201ccountless\u201d service members and hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment could have been lost in the attack if it were not for the quick thinking of leaders on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the evening of Jan. 7, Coleman said she got the word that Iran was planning to attack the al-Asad air base located in Anbar province, Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI stood around my desk trying to wrap my mind around the reality of the situation,\u201d she said in her account of the strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/08\/milley-says-iran-launched-ballistic-missiles-intending-to-kill\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20008710684713.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Milley says Iran launched ballistic missiles intending to kill<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The chairman of the Joint Chiefs believes Iran intended to take lives in its Tuesday night strike, contradicting administration officials.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She quickly worked to develop a plan to evacuate half of the 160 people under her command \u2014 the other half would remain behind to operate and secure the airfield. Coleman said she believed the remain behind crew would never survive the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flight commanders were tasked with compiling the list of personnel divided between personnel with combat capability and &#8221; those they believed were emotionally equipped to endure remaining behind for a possible missile attack,&#8221; Coleman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was being forced to gamble with my members\u2019 lives by something I couldn\u2019t control. I was deciding who would live and who would die. I honestly thought anyone remaining behind would perish,\u201d Coleman explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As half the team began to depart the remain-behind crew started to pack a bunker with essential supplies to last the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coleman said she took a few moments to contact family to say one final \u2018I love you.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe first wave of missiles hit, and the ground shook with a force impossible to put into words. The blast waves could be felt throughout the entire body,\u201d Coleman recounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1874\" height=\"1405\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg 1874w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20101736112673.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1874px) 100vw, 1874px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">American soldiers inspect the site of Iranian bombing in January at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar, Iraq. U.S. officials say new air defense systems are now protecting American and allied forces at military bases in Iraq. (Ali Abdul Hassan\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coleman said she started to believe the unit could survive the strike as long as the bunker didn\u2019t take a direct hit but she was worried for her Air Force security force troops outside the bunker and her airfield operations flight housed in a separate bunker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said poor radio signals inside the bunker made it impossible to communicate with the other members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, security forces members banged on the bunker door and informed her there were no casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a miracle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No U.S. troops were killed in the strike, but more than 100 have been treated for traumatic brain injury since the strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs chairman, previously told reporters that he believed Iran intended to kill U.S. troops in the strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/04\/15\/11-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-vessels-harass-us-warships-in-the-persian-gulf\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Iran-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">11 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels harass US warships in the Persian Gulf<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">NAVCENT said the Iranian ships \u201crepeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds\u201d and even came within 50 yard \u201cclosest point of approach\u201d of the Puller and 10 yards of Maui\u2019s bow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran launched more than a dozen missile targeting coalition troops in Iraq following a U.S. decapitation strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBottom line is, in my professional assessment, at Al Asad &#8230; the points of impact were close enough to personnel and equipment and so on and so forth \u2015 I believe, based on what I saw and what I know, that they were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and aircraft, and to kill personnel,\u201d Milley said in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has since sent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/04\/14\/us-installs-new-missile-defense-systems-in-iraq-following-iranian-strikes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Patriot missile<\/a> batteries inside Iraq to defend coalition troops from potential Iranian strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019ve done to deserve such dedicated and loyal Airmen, but I know without a doubt the blind trust and genuine love we\u2019ve developed over the past few months played a major role in our survival that night,\u201d Coleman said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019ve done to deserve such dedicated and loyal Airmen, but I know without a doubt the blind trust and genuine love we\u2019ve developed over the past few months played a major role in our survival that night.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":30320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["flashpoints","news","left-column","home","pentagon-congress","middle-column"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"4":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home","pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"5":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home","pentagon-congress","news"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"7":{"categories":["flashpoints","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","pentagon-congress","news","middle-column","home"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"}}},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3398],"class_list":["post-18711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"27GAVTLPZ5ASJPJ2JXCZJOUOTY","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2020\/04\/21\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>American troops had only hours to react to Iranian ballistic missile attack. 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Here\u2019s what they did.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019ve done to deserve such dedicated and loyal Airmen, but I know without a doubt the blind trust and genuine love we\u2019ve developed over the past few months played a major role in our survival that night.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/04\/21\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-21T20:23:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:45:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/21\\\/american-troops-had-only-hours-to-react-to-iranian-ballistic-missile-attack-heres-what-they-did\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"American troops had only hours to react to Iranian ballistic missile attack. 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