NIGHTSTALKERS Maier, Karl H.

[John Robertson]

• SURNAME

Maier​

• FORENAME

Karl H.​

• UNIT

1 Bn (Company A)​

• RANK

Chief Warrant Officer Third Class​

• NUMBER

​

• AWARD

Silver Star​

• PLACE

Somalia 1993​

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

enlisted 12.1975​

1984 received Aviator wings​

1986 SOAR​

Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Gothic Serpent, Uphold Democracy, Joint Endeavor, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Free-Dom​

retired 21.3.2014 as CWO5 (Company A,1 Bn)​

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CW5 Karl Maier enlisted in the United States Army in December 1975. He completed Warrant Officer Candidate School and received his Aviator wings in 1984. In July 1987, CW5 Maier successfully assessed to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (Airborne).​

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CW5 Karl Maier’s impact over the last 26 years on Special Operations Aviation has been immeasurable. He has served the 160th in every capacity from platoon instructor pilot to Regimental Warrant Officer. His involvement in every combat operation since 1987 places him at the pinnacle of Special Operations experience. His pioneering of Night Vision Goggle, (NVG), flight techniques and procedures, which he developed and proved through more than two decades of combat, revolutionized the effectiveness of Army Aviation on the battlefield.​

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In 1993, during his deployment to Somalia as the primary planner and flight lead for the Special Operations Task Force Ranger during Operation GOTHIC SERPENT, CW5 Maier was awarded the Silver Star for leading the recovery operations of personnel injured after an MH-60 was shot down. Piloting the MH-6 ‘little bird’ Star 41, he searched for and found one of the two Blackhawks minutes after it had been shot down. His co-pilot noticed a fallen soldier propped against a wall severely bleeding from the stomach. Although landing in a big intersection near the wounded soldier would have been far easier, he eased the bird up the street between two stone houses and set it down on a slope. As he used his aircraft to shield the wounded, he engaged the numerically superior advancing enemy with his MP5 expending hundreds of rounds through his door opening while his copilot extracted two critically wounded soldiers from the ground force. As the consummate and quiet professional, Karl successfully resisted telling his story to anybody who would ask, for over 20 years.​

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CW5 Maier participated in numerous operations, including Operations JUST CAUSE, DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, GOTHIC SERPENT (Somalia), UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, JOINT ENDEAVOR, ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), and IRAQI FREE-DOM (OIF). Since 2003, CW5 Maier deployed 5 times to OIF and 7 times to OEF, providing unsurpassed experience and leadership in pursuit of the strategic objectives of the United States.​

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In April 2006, CW5 Maier was assigned duties as the first Regiment Chief Warrant Officer, guiding and mentoring the Regiment’s 300+ Warrant Officers and providing support directly to the Regimental Commander.​

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CW5 Maier’s performance as a Night Stalker Flight Lead and consummate trainer throughout the Regiment mark him as the epitome of a Special Oper-ations Aviation Officer. Up until his retirement ceremony, Maier was the longest-tenured Night Stalker in the 160th SOAR (A). He had been in the unit since 1986, with a majority of his time serving in the same company. Pretty much everything you’ve read in any book about the 160th, Karl was a part of.​

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CW5 Karl Maier’s impact on the 160th SOAR(A) extends far beyond his personal achievements. He has been a mentor and advisor to multiple generations of Aviators, Commanders, and enlisted Soldiers. Karl Maier has helped to develop many of the NVG Tactics Techniques and Procedures, (TTP’s), and Aircrew Training Manual, (ATM) tasks which define modern Army Aviation. CW5 Maier’s legacy will continue for many years to come, as the Night Stalkers who he has mentored over the past 26 years continue to uphold the high standards to which he has trained them.​