Former Orange County Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Management Alan Mack has been hired as Charleston County’s (S.C.) Senior Emergency Manager.

Mack worked for Orange County for a decade, retiring in January of this year. He previously enjoyed a decorated career in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot. Mack wrote a book about his experiences during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001.

“Razor 03: A Night Stalker’s Wars” chronicles Mack’s training and combat missions, including the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, and being shot down by Taliban fighters during Operation Anaconda.

Chief Warrant Officer Five Mack enlisted in the Army in 1981 and became a helicopter pilot in 1989. Mack was one of the first pilots to fly into Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, bringing the same Special Forces unit depicted in 12 Strong to battle the Taliban during the start of the engagement.

Mack served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, working with Special Forces and other elite units, including Delta Force and the U.S. Navy’s renowned SEAL Team Six, which killed bin Laden in 2011. During his career, Mack was awarded the Legion of Merit, one of the U.S. military’s most prestigious awards, nine air medals, three Bronze Stars, and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He spent the last three years of his career as the Commander of the United States Military Academy’s Flight Detachment at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh.