Coker, Greg
Greg Coker flew AH-6 “Little Bird” attack helicopters with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) as a senior lead instructor pilot. Coker logged over 7,000 hours of accident-free flying, more than 6,000 hours flying under Night Vision Goggles, and a staggering 1,500 hours of combat time spanning a 30-year military career and eleven combat tours from 2001 to 2007. The Night Stalkers, officially known as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, are the best helicopter pilots and crews in the world. These are the crews who fly America’s top special operations units to combat. They can reach any target, plus or minus 30 seconds, as they take pride in saying. The Battle of Mogadishu, the Osama bin Laden mission, and the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid are just some of their exploits that have made it through to the public. When you hear about special operations troops doing something incredible on the ground, it's almost always because 160th SOAR pilots like Gregory "Gravy" Coker flew them in, provided air support, and whisked them back out - all under cover of darkness. “I was shot down in Iraq on 19 Mar 2004 while supporting a Delta Force team south of Fallujah, where my AH-6 was destroyed when it caught fire after the crash. The minigun barrels, main rotor blade, vertical fin, bullets, pieces, and parts were all that remained, and since they were given to me after extraction, I've carried them with me for years. Over the last couple of years, I have taken an active interest in both the art of knifemaking, and the necessity of supporting America's combat veterans and the families that some of us leave behind. I decided to use the minigun barrels, pieces that were recovered from the crash site, and some steel billets from the salvage operation of the World Trade Center (that was gifted to me on 11 Sep 2022 by Steve and Lora Schwarzer), to make some one-of-a-kind knives with their own legends and stories behind them, and auction off these unique pieces to raise money for nonprofits that support veterans, first responders, and their families. As a new and inexperienced knife maker, I sought after the best in the industry to help me with this mission. I could NOT screw it up! Thanks to Steve Schwarzer, John Horrigan, Chris Williams, and Bill Harsey for their help.”
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