BV, apart from the hostile terrain my second thought was the thunder storms. Having operated in thunderstorms suffering lightning strikes I know it is no fun. It is probably worse in an electronic jet.
Then the DM needs some decent editors.
It was at this point that they realised the four ISIS trucks acting as booby trapped obstacles on the road into Hawijah, in eastern Syria not far from the Iraq border.
And twice they shortened his rank.
Just