Special Ops Mission

Special Ops Mission
Special Ops Mission title screen
Created by	Bob Niemack
Starring	Wil Willis
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	5 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	approx. 42 minutes
Original release
Network	Military Channel
Release	August 13, 2009 – Present
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes
Release	List of Special Ops Mission episodes

Special Ops Mission is a 2009 TV series shown on the Military Channel. The basic premise of the show has former Army Ranger and Air Force Para-Rescue, Wil Willis, performing a solo special operations mission against a group of OPFOR (OPposing FORce) which also consists of regular and special forces military veterans in a simulated wargame mission.

Plot

At the beginning of each show, Wil Willis, call sign: Whiskey Whiskey, is given information on a specific special operations mission by USMC Master Sergeant Tom Minder, which he must complete solo. It is his call to decide how he wishes to Infiltrate, collect intel, complete his objectives, and how he Wil work against the OPFOR (fight, ambush, evade and escape, or sneak around and avoid them). The OPFOR team members are then introduced, and include information on which branch of the Military they are a part of, and any other combat related information (such as if they are a SWAT/SRT Trainer/member) and the OPFOR team's Callsign and number for that episode. Both Willis, and the OPFOR, discuss their plans, and some of the equipment, they plan on using, as well as their guess at what they may expect. Neither side knows how many are on the other, or how they plan on accomplishing their objectives. Typically, for actual engagements, both sides use M4 or M16 Assault rifles loaded with Simunition rounds ("simulated ammunition" rounds that fire a Marking Solution that leaves a colored splat mark when it hits, similar in some ways, to Paintballs). Although, Willis has also carried a sidearm pistol loaded with Simunition rounds; it is not known if the OPFOR members likewise do the same. One hit in the torso is usually a kill shot, while a hit in the arms or legs, results in the wounding of an operator, allowing him to return fire or radio intel to his team depending on the severity of the wound.

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 intel gathering, a remote-controlled 2 wheeled surveillance robot equipped with an 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 pick up trucks with a mounted machine gun in their bed, distraction grenades rigged as trip wire early detection, to even what may be around the area, such as placing a coffee can filled with metal scraps on top of a door handle, so that if anyone attempts to open it, they'll be alerted to the attempt.

Episodes

Operation Urban Terror

Insurgents have taken over a large building, and are using it to hold hostages. Wil's mission is to infiltrate the insurgent stronghold, interrupt the flow of hostages, money and weapons, and rescue the remaining hostages from the insurgents.

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Operation Frozen Thunder

Terrorists have dammed up the local water supply, and are hijacking deliveries of humanitarian aid intended for a refuge camp down river. Wil's mission is trek through the snow and blow up the dam that is preventing water from flowing to the refugee camp.

Friendly Force:
Wil Willis: Eliminated
Hostage: Escaped

OPFOR:
Raven 1: Charlie Parrish - US Army Leader Eliminated
Raven 2: Kicker - US Marine Corps
Raven 3: Chris "Mojo" Merkle - US Marine Corps Eliminated
Raven 4: Nick Lattu - 10th Mountain Division, US Army Eliminated

Objectives:
1. Recon Camp: Completed
2. Destroy the Dam: Completed
3. Destroy Communications System: Completed
4. Liberate Hostages: Completed
6. Exfiltrate: Failed

After Wil receives his objectives, he approaches the mountain on a snowmobile and begins his mission climbing the mountain on foot. Meanwhile, the OPFOR split up into two teams, patrolling and guarding their assets. Raven 3 and 4 patrol on snowmobile, while Raven 1 and 2 patrol the area near a road. Wil then reaches the camp, and recons the camp, leaving his pack behind. Raven 1 and 2 then ambushes a humanitarian truck, and steals it's supplies, letting the driver go. While the OPFOR are stealing supplies, Wil spots them and prepares to eliminate them as they head back to their camp. When Wil prepares to engage the 2 OPFOR, Raven 3 and 4 arrives to help them with the supplies. Wil then retreats, attracting the OPFOR, and heads back using a river to where he left his pack. The OPFOR, having lost track of Wil, split into two groups, and continue patrolling the camp.

After retrieving his pack, Wil sets a charge at the dam, and moves to a ridge where he can observe the OPFOR investigating the dam. When the dam is destroyed, he attempts to ambush two of the OPFOR who are investigating the explosion, but his weapon misfires. The two OPFOR attack Wil and he returns fire after he fixes his weapon. Wil escapes and the OPFOR starts their patrols again. One team ambushes another truck, stealing supplies and taking one hostage. As they move the supplies and the hostage to a cabin, Wil gets caught in the open trying to ambush an OPFOR, and manages to escape and eliminate Raven 4. The OPFOR leaves the hostage unsecured to help out Raven 3, which results in the hostage's escape. The OPFOR find Wil and open fire on him. Wil retreats to the COM Tower and kills Raven 1. Raven 3 and 2 split up and try to flank Wil, but Wil ambushes and eliminates Raven 3 and blows the COM tower. Assuming that there may be a hostage at the camp, Wil heads to the cabins by traveling along the river. Raven 2, the last remaining OPFOR member, spots Wil returning to the camp and eliminates him.

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Operation Covert Canyon

A rebel force is acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Their camp is protected by five highly trained and heavily armed operators. Wil's mission is to infiltrate the camp and photograph the weapons and upload them to Central Command.

Friendly Force:
Wil Willis: Escaped

OPFOR:
Tommy 1: Michael Lee - US Marine Corps Leader
Tommy 2: John Beltran - US Navy SEALs
Tommy 3: Jason Kyle - US Marine Corps
Tommy 4: Rich McDonough - US Navy Eliminated
Tommy 5: Charlie Parrish - US Army Eliminated

Objectives:
1. Infiltrate Rebel Camp: Completed
2. Document the existence of WMDs: Completed
3. Document the delivery of WMD: Completed
4. Remove the guidance system from the weapon: Incomplete
5. Exfiltrate: Completed

Wil is dropped off by helicopter and crawls through brush to reach the camp. The OPFOR guards the camp, using a truck and overwatch sentries. After hours of crawling through the brush, Wil finally reaches the camp at night. The overwatch sentries return to camp and the OPFOR set their camp up for night time patrols. Suddenly, their generator powering their lights runs out of gas, and the OPFOR search for Wil thinking that he had tampered with it. The OPFOR returns to patrolling the camp while Wil gets some sleep in an area outside of the camp. In to morning, Wil heads to some cargo crates containing weapons. However, Wil must expose himself to meet his 24 hour deadline for objective 2. Wil reaches the containers safely and manages to avoid detection from patrols. The OPFOR sets up an ambush, thinking that Wil had not infiltrated the camp, buying Wil time to take pictures of the weapons in the containers. After taking some pictures Wil exits the camp to upload them to command. Command informs Wil that they are looking for heavier ordinance, and informs him of a delivery at the airfield in the camp. Command gives Wil 1 hour to photograph the delivery, forcing him to move on open ground.

Wil finds a spot to observe the delivery, and takes photographs of the cargo when the OPFOR removes the tarp off of the WMD. Wil then uploads his intel to command, and is ordered to remove the guidance system from the WMD. While communicating vocally to command, the OPFOR hears him and begins to search for him. Tommy 1, an expert tracker, searches cautiously for Wil, while the rest of the OPFOR guard their new delivery. After an hour of no radio contact from Tommy 1, two of the OPFOR find Tommy 1, and they call off the search and return to camp. At night, Wil attempts to get to the WMD, but two OPFOR guarding the road outside of the hanger notice Wil. Wil hides in the brush, and the OPFOR begin to search for him with the truck. When Tommy 5 spots Wil, Wil opens fire on the truck and kills Tommy 5, who was driving. Tommy 4, a patrolmen, is also killed while he is searching for Wil. Wil decides to escape the camp and to exfiltrate without completing his fourth objective. A helicopter picks up Wil in the morning, and Wil successfully exfiltrates the area.

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Operation Pirate Guns

Pirates have captured a Merchant Marine gun ship. Aerial intelligence shows shipments of nuclear material being loaded onto the ship. Wil's job is to infiltrate the ship, and discover where the pirates intend to strike.

Friendly Force:
Wil Willis: Escaped
Scientists: Eliminated

OPFOR:
Skinny 1: Chris Withrow - US Navy SEALs Leader
Skinny 2: Steffond Johnson - US Marine Corps Eliminated
Skinny 3: Carlos Moreno - US Marine Corps
Skinny 4: Jen X - US Army

Objectives:
1. Board the Ship: Completed
2. Destroy the Deck Guns: Completed
3. Disable the Ship: Completed
4. Recon the Navigation Charts: Completed
5. Rescue the Scientists: Failed
6. Exfiltrate: Completed

Wil is transported to within close proximity of the ship by a watercraft, uses a SCUBA system to swim across the channel undetected and boards the ship using the fire line. Once boarded Wil proceeds to one of the deck guns and plants a charge. However, he almost alerts the OPFOR to his position when Skinny 3, who is doing a patrol of the deck, finds puddles of water from where Wil boarded the ship. However, just as he arrives to the stairs to the forward deck guns, where Wil had just disarmed the flashbang grenade set on a trip wire, Skinny 1 calls the search off, so that Skinny 3 can help load the shipment of nuclear materials. Wil then goes to the Crow's Nest where the NAV Charts are located. Upon reaching the charts, he finds the door to the objective booby trapped with an Early Warning Device in the form of a Flashbang Grenade. Wil attempts to disarm it, but accidentally triggers it prompting Wil to toss the grenade over the railing, tricking the OPFOR on the floor above Wil, to investigate a booby trap on a lower level of the ship. Wil takes advantage of the situation and photographs the NAV Charts and sends it to command; confirming that the intended target is indeed in the United States.

The OPFOR then receives a shipment of radioactive material that they intend to use in the ammunition for the deck guns. Two of the OPFOR disguise themselves in HAZMAT suits to bring the shipment to the laboratory inside the ship, hoping that Wil Wil attempt to rescue the disguised OPFOR so that they could ambush him. Wil notices the OPFOR dressed as the scientists, but decides not to rescue them because of the lack of an escort. Wil then sets a charge on the second deck gun, and finds two of the OPFOR patrolling the deck and engages them. The OPFOR run for cover to the opposite end of the ship, as Wil flanks them from the adjacent side. One of the OPFOR decides to search for Wil, leaving the other watching his back. Wil approaches Skinny 2, eliminates him and hides the body. Wil then searches for the second OPFOR, who ambushes him. The two engage in a firefight and neither of them scores a hit. The OPFOR retreats below deck after he runs out of ammo in his clip, losing his radio in the process. After the OPFOR member escapes, Wil heads below deck, and plants a charge, that Wil disable the propellers of the ship. After the two OPFOR guarding the scientists fail to contact the other OPFOR, they assume their two allies might have been killed, and eliminate the scientists when they finish loading radioactive material into the ammunition, and the two OPFOR search the ship for Wil. Wil shortly finds the dead scientists and then heads to the deck for exfiltration. The separated OPFOR find each other and prepare to go on deck to eliminate Wil. As Wil retrieves his pack stashed near one of the deck guns, the OPFOR sees him and fires at him. Wil returns fire and hurries to the fire line and goes overboard. Wil then exfiltrates in the same manner as he arrived and detonates the charges disabling the ship and destroying the deck guns.

Operation Freebird Down

A force antagonistic to the government has set up anti-aircraft systems. Wil's mission is to take direct action against the radar & communication system that allows this anti-government force to track allied planes.

Friendly Force:
Wil Willis: Escaped
Badger 1-1 (Pilot): Justin Shook - US Air Force Escaped

OPFOR:
Dave Thomas - US Army Leader Eliminated
Alan Tafoya - US Law Enforcement Eliminated
Randle Ross - US Army Eliminated
Steven Watanabe - US Army Wounded

Objectives:
1. Infiltrate enemy Area of Operations: Completed
2. Destroy the COMM Tower: Completed
3. Destroy the Mobile Radar Unit: Incomplete
4. Rescue the downed pilot: Completed
5. Destroy Dirty Bomb: Completed
6. Neutralize or capture the Stinger Missle Launcher: Completed
7. Exfiltrate with the Pilot: Completed

Wil is inserted by helicopter and makes his way to the COMM Tower over mountainous terrain. Upon reaching the tower, Wil disables it, which alerts the OPFOR to his presence. Wil moves away from the area and later receives coordinates to a pilot who is shot down by the rebel force. The OPFOR receives the coordinates to the crash site, and must search for the pilot using the skills of Alan, who is an expert Apache tracker. Wil rendezvous with the pilot, and the two escape the area before the OPFOR reaches their previous location. The duo head toward their exfil, but are told by the commander to destroy a dirty bomb and disable a FIM-92 Stinger Surface-to-Air Missle Launcher which is carried in the back of the OPFOR's HMMWV. Having no choice, the pilot must accompany Wil to assist him in completing his objectives. Meanwhile, Alan takes position on a cliff where he can observe the dirty bomb. As Wil and the pilot approach the bomb, Wil notices the lookout on the cliff, and decides to stalk and eliminate the lookout. The lookout is then ordered to return to the rest of the OPFOR, and proceeds down the hill. Wil tracks down and eliminates Alan and steals his radio, gaining access to the OPFOR's communications.

After a few minutes the OPFOR become suspicious when Alan has not returned, and search for him at his last known position, giving Wil an opportunity to destroy the bomb. Not finding a trace of their missing operator, the OPFOR abandon the search and checks on their assets. They soon find the dirty bomb destroyed and change their radio frequencies, suspecting that one of their radios may have been stolen. As the day ends, the OPFOR decides to return to their camp to prepare to adjust for a night operation. Wil knowing this, heads to the camp to eliminate the rest of the OPFOR. Wil catches the OPFOR off guard and eliminates Dave and Randle, wounds Steven, and also steals the HMMWV containing the Stinger. With the pilot, Wil drives to their exfiltration point.

Episode Listings

Episode #	Title	Air Date
1	"Operation Urban Terror"	August 13, 2009
2	"Operation Frozen Thunder"	August 20, 2009
3	"Operation Covert Canyon"	August 27, 2009
4	"Operation Pirate Guns"	September 3, 2009
5	"Operation Freebird Down"	September 10, 2009
6	"Operation One Shot"	September 17, 2009