Friend,

 

For more than 40 years, a small brotherhood of pilots has flown America’s most dangerous missions. They are the legendary Night Stalkers.

Above: CW5 (R) Graham T. Stevens, one of the original Night Stalkers, flying a Cobra in Vietnam before being assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Unit 

 

These men flew into the most dangerous missions of our lifetime...from Mogadishu to Iraq to Afghanistan...often under cover of night, where secrecy and precision meant life or death. 

 

They carried our nation’s most elite special operations soldiers into battle.  

 

They risked everything. 

 

And now, for the first time, these warriors are ready to sit down and share their stories on film. 

 

But here’s the problem, Friend: if we don’t act in the next 30 days, we may lose this chance forever. 

 

That means we have less than 30 days to raise the funds, assemble our production team, and capture these stories. 

 

Friend, will you make a gift of $25, $50, or even $100 today to help us preserve the Night Stalkers’ legacy for generations to come?

Above: CW5 Fred Arooji training for special operations with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Unit that would be known as the Night Stalkers.  

 

As President of the American Veterans Center, I see it as our mission to make sure America never forgets the brave men and women who defended her.  

 

That’s why AVC is committed to bringing veterans’ voices to life — on film, on stage, and at national events — so Americans can understand the cost of freedom and the character of those who paid it. 

 

Here’s what we’ve done recently to prove it: 

 

We just filmed World War II veterans from the Pacific theater.  

• Many of these veterans are in their 100s, and we managed to record their firsthand accounts while they are still with us.  
  
• This is material we’re preserving for museums, classrooms, and future generations. 

We revived and now host the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. 

• This is the largest Memorial Day event of its kind, bringing the country together each year to honor those who served. 

And you can watch the thousands of oral histories we’ve captured on our YouTube channel, where our more than ONE MILLION subscribers watch America’s veterans share their stories of service and sacrifice.  

 

Friend, when you give to AVC, you’re helping put cameras, crews, and historians in the field to capture living memory — real people, exact names, and precise details that textbooks can never reproduce. 

 

That’s why I’m so excited about the chance to record these interviews with the elite pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.  

 

And I know one thing for certain: we cannot do this without you, Friend. 

 

Can you chip in any amount to help us capture the incredible stories of the Night Stalkers in the next 30 days?

Friend, let me tell you about some of the pilots of the 160th, current and retired:  

• CW5 (R) Paul Price, a Master Army Aviator and one of the first special operations aviators to be assigned to the Night Stalkers after the Iran hostage crisis. He developed air tactics that played a critical role in Grenada and Kosovo.  
  
  
• CW5 (R) Mike Gwinn, another “founding father” of the 160th who flew 15,000 flight hours and supported Task Force Ranger in Somalia in 1993.  
  
  
• CW5 Fred Arooji, who participated in Operation Eagle Claw in Iran in 1979 and later was one of the first special operations aviators to test night vision goggles and teach the Army how to use them.  

Above: CW5 (R) Paul Price and CW5 (R) Mike Gwinn at their inductions into the Army Aviation Hall of Famie in 2018 and 2022, respectively.  

 

Many of these pilots honed their skills in their bravery in Vietnam before being assigned to Task Force 160 – and they’ll be recounting that war, too. 

 

Friend, your support makes it possible to record their firsthand accounts before time runs out.  

 

Will you help us take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with your tax-deductible gift today?

Here’s our plan, Friend, once we raise the funds we need to produce these Hollywood-quality documentaries about the Night Stalkers: 

1. Assemble the team — cameras, historians, and production crew. 
2. Travel to meet the Night Stalkers before the deadline passes. 
3. Preserve their stories in a documentary that will inspire generations. 

Friend, when you give, you are helping ensure these warriors are remembered for what they risked, what they sacrificed, and what they accomplished. 

 

If we succeed, future generations will know who the Night Stalkers were — and why they mattered. 

 

If we fail, their voices may be lost to history. 

 

We begin filming in less than 30 days. Every day that passes brings us closer to losing their untold stories. 

 

Please, Friend, join us in this mission before time runs out. 

Sincerely,

Tim Holbert
President
American Veterans Center

P.S. Friend, here’s the full list of veterans of the 160th whose stories we’re hoping to record in less than 30 days:  

• COL(R) Bob Yuill 
• CW5(R) GT Stevens 
• CW5(R) Paul Price 
• CW5(R) Mike Gwinn 
• MSG(R) Russ Jordan 
• LTC(R) Bob Johnson 
• CW5(R) Charlie Weigandt 
• CW5(R) Mike Shutlz 
• COL(R) Ned Hubbard 
• CW5 Fred Arooji 

 

I’ll be sharing more about these remarkable warriors over the coming weeks.  

 

But today, Friend, I ask you to act: help us record the Night Stalkers’ stories in their own words before it’s too late. 

The mission of the American Veterans Center and the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty service personnel from World War II through today.

 

A non-profit educational organization, the AVC and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from people like you. All contributions are tax-deductible.

 

© American Veterans Center
1100 N. Glebe Road Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22201