No aviator in the history of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) has been more impactful or achieved a higher level of excellence than CW5 Douglas M. Englen. He has flown over 7,000 hours of fixed and rotary wing flight time with 34 combat tours executing over 2,500 missions in support of the global war on terrorism.

He was assessed into the 160th SOAR(A) at Ft. Campbell, KY in May 1998 where he quickly became a flight lead and standardization officer. On October 19, 2001, he helped lead a 10-ship rotary wing force and 65 ship fixed wing force to respond to the nation’s call immediately following the terror attacks on 9/11. He was in the lead aircraft that led the longest helicopter air assault in U.S. military history, logging over 14 hours and covering a distance over 1,400 nm with 4 in-flight air refuel events.

On May 1, 2011 he was awarded his first Silver Star for his actions as a flight lead pilot for a joint task force. He successfully penetrated a fully integrated and highly sophisticated air defense network, arrived at the objective undetected, and delivered the ground forces to the target. He flawlessly reacted to multiple contingencies to include the loss of an aircraft and allowed the ground force to complete its extremely high-risk mission.

He received his second Silver Star for his actions as the flight lead pilot in command responding to a distress call for a high-risk casualty evacuation mission in a known area of dense insurgent activity. He flawlessly reacted to multiple contingencies to include the loss of an aircraft and allowed the ground force to complete its extremely high-risk mission; ultimately eliminating the number one terrorist of modern time.

Today, he continues to serve working directly for the Secretary of the Army as the U.S. Army Senior Warrant Officer Advisor for Talent Management – his impact on Army Aviation cannot be overstated.