War Reporter Alex Quade Covers Special Forces A-Teams In Iraq

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Jun 24, 2014, 08:36 ET

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. is sending elite, 12-man teams of Special Forces to Iraq as advisors in the current crisis, and now you can see how these secretive "A-Teams" have operated, in the same places they're returning to. Alex Quade is the only TV war reporter and documentary filmmaker to have embedded long-term with these Green Beret A-Teams, in the same areas where ISIL, an al-Qaida offshoot, has taken control in Iraq. For context to what's happening now, you need only to look at Alex Quade's exclusive videos and stories, as she continued to cover those same Special Forces units.

WAR REPORTER ALEX QUADE COVERS SPECIAL FORCES A-TEAMS IN IRAQ (PRNewsFoto/Alex Quade)

Alex Quade shows you how these how these small, Operational Detachments, or A-Teams, operate – as they advise their Iraqi counterparts in dangerous combat situations and rough conditions (www.alexquade.com).

Go along with Alex Quade on one mission, "Special Forces Combat Outpost Pirelli" – which is narrative, immersion journalism and the product of 5-years of blood, sweat and tears in combat, and on the home-front. Alex Quade was injured during one Special Forces' mission. The access Quade earned with the closed-door, elite Special Forces community is a journalistic and historic first. She brings light to dark subjects: in her video, audiences see hardened Green Berets humanized, sharing on camera and allowing the audience "in" – unheard of coverage of secretive Operators.

Alex Quade's "Special Forces Combat Outpost Pirelli": When the U.S. military officially left Iraq, part of the handover included leaving behind secret Special Forces' "team houses" — or safe houses — hidden around the country. One was built by Green Beret Staff Sgt. Robert R. Pirelli and his Operational Detachment Alpha-072, or A-Team. Pirelli, of the Army's 10th Special Forces Group, built the combat outpost in a remote part of Diyala Province, near the Iranian border, in 2007. As a lone reporter, Alex Quade was there at the combat outpost's beginning, then spent 2-years covering these same, secretive Special Forces A-Teams on multiple deployments, facing the same dangers as the Green Berets she covered. While they carried weapons, Alex Quade carried a camera; her words and ability to get the story out were her weapons. During one combat mission, Green Beret Staff Sgt. Pirelli was killed in action during an ambush. His heroism saved his 12-Special Forces teammates, and the Iraqis his unit was advising. Quade made the commitment to follow Pirelli's A-Team and his Gold Star Family for 5-years after he was killed and going back to Combat Outpost Pirelli repeatedly over the years.

Alex Quade's video teases audiences to read the complete, 40-page, 2-part, special article. Her story covers two investigative, journalistic themes. First, over time, how Pirelli's family and teammates dealt with the loss and an inside look at how Special Forces Command handles a soldier killed in action. Secondly, using the Combat Outpost as a metaphorical barometer, Alex Quade documents the change in the Special Forces' mission in that part of Iraq, as well as the U.S. military's role, and the progress and then regress into violence, over 5-years. In light of the current crisis, Alex Quade's reporting is extremely relevant.

Alex Quade is a freelance war reporter and documentary filmmaker, who covers U.S. Special Operations Forces on combat missions. She's the only reporter ever embedded long-term with these secretive units downrange with no crew or support. Extreme storytelling and silent risk-taking lie at the heart of what Quade does. She received two Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Excellence in Journalism Award. Quade has worked for CNN, FOX, HLN, the New York Times, & the Washington Times. Among her documentaries, "Horse Soldiers of 9/11", narrated by actor Gary Sinise, and "Chinook Down", investigating the surface-to-air missile shoot-down of a helicopter in Afghanistan killing all onboard. Quade was supposed to be on that helicopter. She survived to report firsthand on the fierce firefight and recovery efforts. Quade started her career as a White House intern during the Persian Gulf War. Quade's reporting from the Asian Tsunami was individually cited in CNN's Columbia du-Pont Award. Her war reports were part of a group Peabody and Emmy. She attended Georgetown University's Institute for Political & Ethical Journalism, and holds three degrees from the University of Washington. Alex Quade serves on the Board of Military Reporters & Editors.