Lessons From The Cockpit

Episode #113: Strategy and Tactics for the Surge with Joe Katuzeinski

🎙️ Episode #113 [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/113] – Lessons from the Cockpit Welcome to another mission-ready episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Lt. Col. Mark Hasara, retired Air Force KC-135 pilot, Weapons School graduate, and aviation fanatic for over 60 years. Strap in for this one—because we're bringing serious airpower experience to the table. Joining me today is one of the smartest Air Force officers I've ever worked with—Lt. Col. Joe "TAZZ" Katuzeinski. He and I go way back to our Weapons and Tactics days at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa in the '90s. Since then, TAZZ has led combat operations from the heart of Iraq to the highest levels of campaign planning. TAZZ served as the Operations Support Squadron Commander at Baghdad International Airport in 2006 and returned in 2008 as a strategist for the Surge and its air campaign, helping dismantle terror networks and put major pressure on insurgents and Hezbollah operatives backed by Iran's Qassem Soleimani. These stories aren't just historic—they're tactical gold. This is air campaign planning at its highest level—and it's all in this episode. 🛩️ Sponsor Highlight – Wall Pilot Aviation Art Support for this show comes from Wall Pilot—your source for high-quality vinyl aircraft profile art. Choose from over 158 ready-to-print designs or get your own jet custom-drawn with your name on the canopy, accurate loadout, and unit markings. Perfect for your home, office, squadron walls, or hangar—these 4, 6, and 8-foot aircraft prints bring history to life. 🎯 Custom profiles: https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes [https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes] Want to surge on a Home for Heroes? Visit Valorous TV's YouTube channel to FREE stream movies, documentaries and interviews with the tough as nails military badasses, law enforcement champions, Wild West gunslingers, and First Responder Superstars. Valorous TV is at / @valoroustv [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc6fmGp9KziLNkSSz17IxKA] 🎖️ Join the All Ranks Club on Patreon Want behind-the-scenes access to this kind of high-level content? Join the All Ranks Club on Patreon and unlock: 🎙️ Group Q&A sessions 🧭 Private Zoom calls with me 🍺 Virtual Bar Nights—aviation stories, war updates, and real talk ✈️ Monthly 7-inch aircraft profile stickers—exclusive collector's series! 🔗 Join the squadron here: / membership [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1ZMWFpra0lpZzBBd3VRVGdxVnQ2U0FhOU13d3xBQ3Jtc0tsenRGaFJhRW5tSjg4NENJa2N3d1pkVUd1Z1BCVUNwZ3BXSC1kVHV3aGJZWEpkVUlOcWc4X2FFak90NVJYS1RISzVtaDJHQ1Q5MnhNUUROYkx2RklSQjVidDZTWGdJdWVpOFltVkxnZXN4Vk5aYW1VRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Flessonsfromthecockpit%2Fmembership&v=Pgj6ElJtGuk] 🎁 Gift a membership to the aviation nut in your life: / gift [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0FTVmlGaXN1dHdsN1F0SlBlUGdnSlpJMnA4d3xBQ3Jtc0ttb2s2Z0hqcVVtYzFGLWc2Z280eFhOdkhLR2ZjZEpzQi1nNlc3b2loRFZTTmExUS1CRHdVOUJXekNFLWI3aWhyVFNLdThHaExpZjVidzdpalpYbDFFUVZubmF2OU1GaEg5dkdQX2IwN2Q4WFVEdFBIOA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Flessonsfromthecockpit%2Fgift&v=Pgj6ElJtGuk] 💸 Keep the Show Airborne Every dollar keeps these missions flying. Support the show directly via: ✈️ Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara [https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara] ✈️ Zelle: mark@markhasara.com [mark@markhasara.com] 📲 Follow Me on Social Media for Daily Aviation Content 📷 Instagram: @markhasara 🎬 TikTok: @markhasara ▶️ YouTube: Lessons from the Cockpit Thanks for tuning in, supporting the mission, and keeping the stories of air combat, leadership, and strategy alive. And remember... Nobody kicks ass without tanker gas... NOBODY!

Episode #112: When do you CEASE FIRE?

🎙️ Episode 112 – How Do You Know When to Stop the Fight? Welcome back to another airpower-packed episode of Lessons from the Cockpit! I'm your host Lt. Col. Mark Hasara, retired KC-135 Weapons Officer and Joint Specialty Officer. For 60 years, I've lived and breathed aviation. Today we are going to talk about a very tough aspect of planning for war! Here's the question I've been getting all week: "Mark, how do you know when it's time to stop shooting?" How does a war end? Who decides when the mission is complete? And what happens if we stop too late—or too soon? This episode is all about the end game in combat—how planners use tools like the Joint Publication 5-0 to define victory, identify military end states, and determine when it's time to terminate operations. It's not theory—it's the real stuff we use to plan, fight, and win. And I've been in the room when those decisions were made. From buried Iraqi fighter jets to the politics of military culmination, I'll walk you through what it takes to bring a war to a decisive stop—without giving your enemy a second chance. 🛡️ NEW SPONSOR ALERT – VALOROUS TV This week, I'm proud to welcome Valorous TV to the Lessons from the Cockpit mission! 🎥 Valorous TV is the Home of Heroes—a FREE streaming platform dedicated to the men and women of the military, law enforcement, first responders, and beyond. 🇺🇸 This Independence Day Week, do yourself a favor: ▶️ Visit @valoroustv and explore shows and documentaries that bring history to life—from the Battle of Shiloh to the skies over the Battle of Britain. You'll love this platform. And best of all? It's FREE. 🎯 WALL PILOT – Aviation Art You Can Stick Anywhere Proud sponsor of this episode! Wall Pilot makes peel-and-stick vinyl prints of iconic aircraft—over 158 profiles ready-to-print, or we can custom-draw your favorite jet with your name on the canopy. 🛩️ Order your prints: https://wallpilot.com/shop [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1huM2JwQjZwOVJla3dSWWVGaEdGaENwSkl6Z3xBQ3Jtc0trVUtWT2U4emhtVGZiTm9KZHVSaTFoRjRabTZ1QU9wSjZWQTZyLXBVaDR5bnh1WWtuQW5YU2o1UndpUnkwR01xdldta1M4VHB1MlJGQmVBcVBnUnBNZl81NW1hcGJ6WUhBU0h1SF9oN1FwbHpWZ0hZUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwallpilot.com%2Fshop&v=RZ6vNygfFJA] ✍️ Go custom: https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes [https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes] ✈️ JOIN THE ALL RANKS CLUB ON PATREON Want exclusive behind-the-scenes access? Support the show and get: One-on-one Zoom calls Group Q&A sessions Virtual Bar Nights with fellow aviation fans Monthly aircraft profile stickers (waterproof & collector-grade) 🎖️ Join the squadron: / membership [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa3RRY0tURUM4VjJ2SWJrbVJyd2QzVmd4TGxHQXxBQ3Jtc0tsZkNORkstUlVOOGUxSHZNNGVyTHRQa1E4ZUFSXzFfV0FSQWd3bjVianBqUlVWZkJ6MlUxeWpxQ3NoVnZEd1huSGZWRTZSVGlfaktPWUQ2ZDRueUlpYWxzZ0xXcEJBVmlYdUJZNEpUM25HSUFJRmxBYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fc%2Flessonsfromthecockpit%2Fmembership&v=RZ6vNygfFJA] 🎁 Gift a membership: / gift [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa2FGb3E4ZWFBc0R5M3hDc2VCcXJqRjFnc2VuUXxBQ3Jtc0tuWnI4MDlCeVJmbWhmcVpkNGkxQmVRUjNaQnpENVNSM042UjVlQ2Q4VFFUNFNSeGhhdkozZVJVX2tLeHJNY1NSUTlmNmMyRGRRX1NSLTJGQUhuaXpBWnp6Vlh5NW9rWlI4MHQ3RlRiZUVfTnp0Tm9nMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Flessonsfromthecockpit%2Fgift&v=RZ6vNygfFJA] 💸 SUPPORT THE MISSION – REFUEL THE SHOW Help keep these airpower stories in the air: 📱 Venmo: Mark-Hasara 📨 Zelle: mark@markhasara.com [mark@markhasara.com] 📲 FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA 📷 Instagram: @markhasara 🎬 TikTok: @markhasara ▶️ YouTube: Lessons from the Cockpit If you've ever wondered how wars end, who makes that call, and why it's more complicated than most people realize—this episode's for you. Strap in. Let's talk airpower. And remember… Nobody Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas. NOBODY!

Episode #111: Operation Rising Lion and US Response Options

🎙️ Episode 111 – Operation Rising Lion: Israel's Knockout Blow to Iran! Strap in for the 111th episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm Mark Hasara, retired Air Force KC-135 pilot, Weapons School graduate, and the guy who's been obsessed with aviation for over 60 years. This episode dives into one of the most aggressive and precise modern air campaigns we've seen in decades—Operation Rising Lion. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) just delivered a massive punch to Iran's military command, nuclear program scientists, religious leaders, and ballistic missile forces. 💥 Israeli Airpower Hits Hard Using F-35s, F-15I Strike Eagles, and F-16I Sufas, the Israeli Air Force launched kinetic and non-kinetic attacks deep into Iranian territory. This was no random strike. This was a highly coordinated, multi-domain air campaign: Precision JDAMs targeted hardened bunkers and key infrastructure. Intelligence from Mossad and Special Forces built the target sets and crafted chains of events. Senior Iranian military leaders were eliminated with extreme precision. Ballistic missile sites were neutralized in a matter of days. The US over the last four days deployed KC-135 and KC-46 tankers to Europe to get ahead of future events. B-52s are now part of the stable of aircraft on the island of Diego Garcia, in bed with B-2 stealth bombers and F-15E Strike Eagle fighter bombers. The Trump Administration is keeping their options open by making the Iranian Regime back down. This is what a flexible deterrent option looks like—diplomatic and economic pressure backed by air dominance and decisive leadership. And yes, this is about more than bombs—it's about giving the Iranian people a fighting chance to reclaim their country from a regime obsessed with destruction. 🛫 Fuel the Flight Deck – Support the Show Want more no-BS breakdowns like this? Help keep Lessons from the Cockpit flying by joining the All Ranks Club on Patreon. When you join, you'll get: ✈️ Zoom calls to talk shop with me and the crew 🍺 Virtual Bar Nights for aviation stories, Q&A, and laughs 🛠️ Access to my private aviation Discord channel 🖼️ Ten exclusive 7-inch aircraft profile stickers—peel-and-stick, water bottle-ready 🪙 Early access to help design our All Ranks Challenge Coin 👉 Join the All Ranks Club 🎁 Gift a Membership 🎨 Sponsored by Wall Pilot – Aviation Art You Can Stick Anywhere This episode is brought to you by Wall Pilot, custom vinyl profile illustrations of famous aircraft printed in 4, 6, or 8-foot lengths you can peel and stick to any wall. 🛩️ 158 ready-to-print profiles 🖍️ Or submit your own aircraft—we'll draw it with your name and loadout Order your favorite jet at: 🔗 https://wallpilot.com/shop [https://wallpilot.com/shop] 🔧 Custom artwork available here: https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes [https://wallpilot.com/custom-planes] Perfect for your home, hangar, or ready room. 💸 Refuel the Show If you want to help Lessons from the Cockpit keep growing, you can contribute directly to the mission: 🔋 Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/Mark-Hasara [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkVURTNuRFRBbW01WjRySkZTX2lPUXRNeXdBZ3xBQ3Jtc0tueXlRMk41a0R0TnM2MnVVNURDeGxpRkdvS1E2LWVkVzl6WVE5U3ZlWU1PcXFyRlVFNnN0TG4wclhxOTN5X0g4ZVJRdDlEdWI3aWpnc1dZWmJWaWpQeFhrRGkwcklWUE1xZWloN0Y4YjRiUlVHOHZ3NA&q=https%3A%2F%2Faccount.venmo.com%2Fu%2FMark-Hasara&v=GLjXanmyfMc] ✉️ Zelle: Send any amount to mark@markhasara.com [mark@markhasara.com] Every dollar goes toward keeping this podcast airborne and delivering the lessons you won't get anywhere else. 📱 Follow Me for More Aviation Content: 📸 Instagram: @markhasara 🎥 YouTube: @markhasara 🎵 TikTok: @markhasara 🟦 Facebook: Mark Hasara Thanks for flying with me. Keep your head on a swivel. And remember: Nobody Kicks Ass Without Tanker Gas… NOBODY!

Episode #82: Lessons from the Hawg with Colonel Donk Strasburger

Welcome the eighty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! I'm your host Mark Hasara, aviation and conflict history expert. Colonel Ray "Donk" Strasburger began his flying career as a Navigator in the B-52, qualifying for a pilot slot when his initial eye test was determined to be wrong! Donk and his wingman were awarded Silver Stars for destroying major elements of the Special Republican Guard Hammurabi Division assaulting Task Force 2-69th Armor at the Muthanna Bridge, called Objective Monty, during the sand storm sweeping through Baghdad on 6 April 2003. The ground controller for 2-69th callsign ADVANCE 33 was a voice Donk recognized immediately! This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show are financially sponsored by Wall Pilot [https://wallpilot.com/], custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. These four, six, or eight foot long aircraft profiles printed on vinyl peel off and stick to any flat surface. They are also water proof. There are 149 Ready-to-Print and ship profiles of aircraft from WWII to fifth generation fighters. We can also do custom aircraft profiles of your favorite aircraft. Go to www.wallpilot.com [https://wallpilot.com/] and purchase one or two of these highly detailed aircraft profiles for you or your kids. This A-10 Warthog belongs to the 163rd Fighter Squadron "Black Snakes" from the Indiana Air National Guard and represents an A-10 like Donk flew over Iraq. This print is available from Wall Pilot at the link here [https://wallpilot.com/product/ft-wayne-guard-black-snakes-a-10-warthog/]. This F-16CG Block 40 Fighting Falcon [https://wallpilot.com/product/f-16cg-555-allied-force/] was deplooyed to Al Udied Air Base in the United Arab Emirates during the 2003 Shock and Awe air campaign. It is the flagship of the World Famous Highly Respected (WFHR) 555th Fighter Squadron out of Aviano Air Base Italy. This F-15E Strike Eagle flagship represents the 335th Fighter Squadron "Chiefs" [https://wallpilot.com/product/f-15e-335th-fighter-squadron-chiefs-flagship/] deployed to Al Udied Air Base in Qatar and flew missions in both the first and second Gulf Wars. Thanks for downloading this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show found here on my YouTube channel and at www.lessonsfromthecockpit.show. Become an All Ranks Club member and receive unpublished chapters of my book Tanker Pilot, pictures taken during my KC-135 career, and soon a Lessons from the Cockpit coin for the Virtual Bar Nights. I set up personal Zoom calls for All Ranks Club members just so we can talk aviation. Thanks again for listening and we'll talk again next week on the Lessons from the Cockpit show!

Lessons with MiG Killer John Markle

Welcome folks to the eighty-third episode of the lessons from the cockpit show! I am your host Mark Hasara, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and former KC-135 pilot. Captain John Markle was an F-4 Phantom II pilot in the famous 550th Tactical Fighter Squadron in the spring and summer of 1972, some of the most intense periods of the air campaign over North Vietnam. The LINEBACKER ONE campaign began on 10 May 1972, and John was flying in the famous OYSTER flight, shooting down a MiG-21 Fishbed that day. John also tells us about his shoot-down and Recovery on another mission. This episode of the Lessoons from the Cockpit Show is financially supported by www.wallpilot.com [https://www.wallpilot.com], custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. You can choose from the 154 Ready-to-Print aircraft profiles of your favorite airplanes, which are printed and vinyl in four, six, and eight foot lengths you can peel off and stick on any flat surface. We have learned these graphics are also water proof! Wall Pillot also does Custom Aviation profiles. If you have a favorite airplane you want to put your name on, from a favorite unit, with a cool weapons load, then fill out the custom form and we can draw it up for you. These are highly detailed and exhaustively researched profiles of aircraft, so detailed you can read the stenciling on the weapons! This F-4D Phantom II was the jet everyone wanted to fly in the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron [https://wallpilot.com/product/f-4d-555-vietnam-mig-killer/]. It had the best engines which made this jet faster, but most importantly had the COMBAT TREE Identification Friend or Foe system in its radar. Aircrews flying this jet had a greater advantage over North Vietnamese Air Force pilots because COMBAT TREE could identify enemy aircraft 30 to 40 miles away. This F-4E Phantom II was part of the famous 388th Tactical Fighter Wing [https://wallpilot.com/product/f-4e-diane-388-tfw/] stationed at Korat Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand. This F-4E is armed for a Surface-to-Air Missile or SAM Hunter-Killer mission, carrying electronic countermeasure pods and CBU-52 cluster bombs used to destroy the SAM Site SA-2 launchers. The Republic F-105G Wild Weasel [https://wallpilot.com/product/republic-f-105g-wild-weasel/] was used in the most intense mission of an air campaign, hunting SAM sites across North Vietnam, an extremely dangerous mission. The electronics in the F-105G showed where the SAM radras were operating from and the crews would fire a Shrike or Standard ARM anti-radiation missile at the site. F-4s armed with cluster bombs would then come in and destroy the launchers. This F-105G had three MiG kills during the Vietnam air campaign, one when the pilot ejected its bomb rack which the MiG chasing it ran into and destroyed it! Thanks for downloading this and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show! This and previous shows can be found on my YouTube Channel at @markhasara or on the Lessoons from the Cockpit Show YouTube channel. We will be back in two weeks with another episode. I will be on the road next week for the Tanker Weapons School's 25th anniversary.