Go for Shakedown — Stephen Robertson

Go For Shakedown follows my experiences through Afghanistan. It is a fictionalized dialogue between characters based on true events. It aims to capture the human side of war from the absurd situations to the complexity of actual helicopter missions; all through the development of about a dozen characters and their interactions and reactions both on the ground and in the air.

Shakedown is a call-sign for the helicopter. The helicopter is a civilian pattern helicopter that was converted into escort gunships by Canada in order to get the job done. A unique task since Canada is the only NATO country to NOT have helicopter gunships. Despite this limitation, the crews in Shakedown got the job done and were revered for their lethal capability yet always prevailing humanity.

Whenever ground troops asked for support, theywere affirmatively answered with, Go for Shakedown."