3rd Ranger Battalion Objective Serpent T-Shirt

On March 27, 2003, during the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a joint special operations task force executed a daring nighttime combat parachute assault to seize H-1 Air Base in western Iraq, a mission known as Objective Serpent.

Spearheaded by Company A and Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, the force jumped into the pitch-black desert to secure the massive, dilapidated airfield. Located roughly 185 miles west of Baghdad, the air base was strategically vital for the coalition; capturing it meant establishing a forward staging area to support special operations deep behind enemy lines and near the Syrian and Jordanian borders.

The Rangers did not make the jump alone, relying on specialized support elements to make the airfield operational. Air Force Combat Controllers from the 24th Special Tactics Squadron jumped in alongside the assault force to rapidly assess the runway, establish communications, and act as immediate air traffic controllers. Additionally, a detachment of airborne Sappers from the 27th Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Airborne) made the jump. Because the Rangers lacked organic heavy machinery, the engineers heavy-dropped FLU-419 Small Emplacement Excavators (SEEs)—militarized backhoes—directly onto the drop zone so they could quickly clear berms, debris, and obstacles from the runway under the cover of darkness.

Together, this joint force successfully secured and transformed the abandoned Iraqi air base into a fully operational coalition hub in a matter of hours. The rapid seizure and clearing of Objective Serpent allowed waves of C-130 and C-17 transport planes to begin landing safely, flooding the western desert with additional troops, supplies, and heavy equipment. This vital foothold paved the way for subsequent high-stakes missions across western Iraq, effectively neutralizing the western threat to the main coalition advance.