Airman Pulse

A weekly podcast featuring analysis of issues critical to Airmen with experts currently serving in and retired from the U.S. Air Force.

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So Others May Live: The Valiant Rescue of Hammer-34

Airman Pulse
David Goldfein, Tom Kunkel, and Patrick McSpadden
April 14, 2026

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Episode Notes:

Gen. (ret.) David Goldfein, call sign Hammer-34, takes listeners back to the night his F-16 was shot down in Serbia during Operation Allied Force. Goldfein is joined by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Tom Kunkel, co-pilot of one of the helicopters that engaged in the daring Combat Search and Rescue mission to retrieve Goldfein.

Image: David Goldfein and Tom Kunkel

You can listen to Hammer-34's cockpit audio here.