These Kings Of 'Close Air' Support Protect US Troops In Ground Wars

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At the height of fighting during the Korean War in 1950, American troops faced artillery barrages, bitter winter cold, and massive human waves of Communist troops.

But they had a secret weapon: aircraft overhead that could slam enemy forces.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the commander of U.S. forces at the time, said the close air support had "perhaps never been equaled in the history of modern war."

If a serious ground war (however unlikely) did break out on the Korean peninsula again, the Hermit Kingdom would be facing an even more deadly American opponent.

Closely following the air war, the ground element would sweep north — working in tandem with those same air assets.

The use of close air support — aircraft that directly support troops on the ground — goes all the way back to World War I, but it's gotten much better since then. We spoke with a number of combat veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq and asked them what they would like to see when the fighting starts.