Introduction

Special Ops Mission is an American reality television series that premiered on 13 August 2009 on the Military Channel (now American Heroes Channel).

The programme features former United States Army Ranger and Air Force Pararescueman Wil Willis, who performs solo special operations missions against groups of opposing-force (OPFOR) operatives, which consists of regular and special operations veterans in a simulated wargame mission.

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Outline

At the beginning of each episode, Wil Willis, call sign Whiskey Whiskey, is given information on a specific special operations mission by US Marine Corps Master Sergeant Tom Minder or US Army Sergeant Matt Anderson, which he must complete solo.

It is Willis’ call as to how he wishes to infiltrate, collect intelligence, complete objectives, and how he will deal with the OPFOR (opposing force). The OPFOR are then introduced, with backgrounds and call signs given. Both parties separately discuss plans, though neither side is told how many enemies they will face. Equipment and weapons are introduced, which typically consists of M4 carbines and M16 rifles loaded with Simunition rounds. It is predetermined that a simulated hit to the torso is a kill shot, while a hit to an extremity only wounds.

Willis also carries a variety of other equipment to cover mission variables such as environment (weather and terrain), expected resistance, and infiltration/exfiltration plans. Digital cameras for intelligence gathering, a remote-controlled 2 wheeled surveillance robot equipped with a night vision camera for scouting ahead, and body armor are just some examples of what he uses. Likewise, the OPFOR may have access to special equipment of their own, such as motor vehicles, various grenades, and early detection gear.

Cast

• Wil Willis … Whiskey Whiskey (6 episodes).
• Tom Minder … Command central (6 episodes).
• Charlie Parrish … OPFOR: Charlie (3 episodes).
• Tony Nevada … Kicker (1 episode).
• Lowell Muenchau … OPFOR: Tango 3 (1 episode).
• Andrew Alexander … Injured Soldier (1 episode).
• Julie Eastland … Scientist #1 (1 episode).
• David Michael Fordham … Scientist #2 (1 episode).
• Steffond Johnson … OPFOR (1 episode).
• Chris Merkle … Mojo (1 episode).
• Michael Pich … Michael Pich (1 episode).
• Alan Tafoya … Tracker (1 episode).
• David Thomas … Opfor Team Leader (1 episode).
• Chris Withrow … OPFOR (1 episode).

Release

Mike Hale of The New York Times offers suspicion regarding the realism of the programme. Viewer response, on the other hand, has been primarily positive, and as of October 2009 the show had an average rating of 5/5 on the iTunes Store.

Special Ops Mission Series

• Episode 01: Operation Urban Terror.
• Episode 02: Operation Frozen Thunder.
• Episode 03: Operation Covert Canyon.
• Episode 04: Operation Pirate Guns.
• Episode 05: Operation Freebird Down.
• Episode 06: Operation One Shot.

Production & Filming Details

• Creator(s): Bob Niemack.
• Producer(s): Christopher Barnes, Jennifer C. Burd, Josh Cole, Brett Lynch, Bob Niemack, Paninee Theeranuntawat, Kellianne Wilder, Gary Pollak, and Gary Tarpinian.
• Cinematography: Craig Christman, James O’Keeffe, Felipe Lazaro, Andrew Parke, and Michael S. Ojeda.
• Editor(s): Dave O’Brien, Gary Pollak, and Tomiko.
• Writer(s): Harry Cason.
• Production: Morningstar Entertainment.
• Distributor(s): Discovery Military.
• Original Network: American Heroes Channel.
• Release Date: 13 August 2009 to 17 September 2009.
• Running Time: 42 minutes (per episode).
• Rating: PG.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

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