The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday

"Boys, I know I'm sending you into the meat grinder on this one..." "They're defending it, so it means we want it. Especially if it gets us to Six-Two-Seven."

- General Shepherd and Captain MacTavish

 is a singleplayer level of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The player controls Gary "Roach" Sanderson. The objective is to take over an oil rig being used as a SAM site by the Russians so Task Force 141, as well as the U.S. Navy and Air Force, can safely assault The Gulag. The player will begin the level by riding on a SEAL Delivery Vehicle (also known as SDVs) from the USS Chicago, a Los Angeles-class submarine, to the oil rig. At various points of the level, the player will have to choose where to breach into a room. After breaking into it, the player will move in slow-motion as they kill the various enemies and save the hostages. As you work your way up the oil rig, you will encounter a Little Bird helicopter (at which point some enemies will rappel down from the upper deck); There is an AT4 in the immediate vicinity, and several rocket launchers behind you. Once you reach the top deck, the enemy will deploy smoke. Your SCAR with Thermal Scope will come in handy, but if you replaced it, there are several F2000 and PP2000 with Thermal Scopes nearby. This is a good place to use your claymores as the enemy may try to flank you around the cargo containers. Once the area is clear, there is a final breaching door; be especially careful on this one. Not only are there hostages, but also explosive barrels. Take care of the enemy that rushes you, then carefully aim at all the other enemies. Once all enemies are dead, you will join Soap on the helipad and climb onto a Little Bird, which will take you to The Gulag.

Trivia

 * The level's title is derived from the motto of the Navy SEALs "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday".
 * In the Art Book, it is stated that originally, there were plans for a campaign level that had the player controlling a U.S. Navy SEAL member, leading to the inspiration of this level, and Oil Rig take downs are something SEALs train for. Also, the infiltration method, is via SEAL Delivery Vehicles (or SDVs). It is very possible, that some of the TF141 members are SEALs themselves
 * As a possible nod to the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, one of the TF141 members that assists in this section has the callsign "Boomer", the same name of a SEAL team member from the series, along with "Jester" and "Sandman" (from the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo series), another reference as well.
 * The submarine the player launches from is the U.S.S. Chicago (SSN-721) while Team 2 is launched by the U.S.S. Dallas (SSN-700). Both are Los-Angeles-class submarines.
 * The submarines U.S.S. Chicago and U.S.S. Dallas were both featured in Tom Clancy novels, Red Storm Rising, and The Hunt for Red October, respectively.
 * When fellow TF141s help you out of the water after you take out the guard it is unknown how you get out of your scuba gear, or if you even remove it, before you move out to secure the hostages.
 * The hostages will always be on the player's side of the room, no matter which door is breached.
 * The body the player plants C4 on in one of the rooms is scripted to lay in that location and is dead as soon as the player breaches the room.
 * After the player plants C4, the hostages can be seen (if you look quickly enough) being escorted downstairs. The hostages then go downstairs where you cant follow them.
 * At the end of the level, the player gains the sniper rifle that they will use in the next level, and there is no way to replace it.
 * This is the only mission in which the Marines are physically seen, as they rope down a helicopter to disarm the SAM sites and rescue the hostages; however, they all wear the Army Combat Uniform, as opposed to the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform.
 * A PP2000 with a Thermal Scope can be found in this level, though it's not an attachment in multiplayer.
 * It is interesting to note that after ambushing the patrol after detonating the C4, the M4 SOPMOD and the SCAR-H Silenced w/ Thermal Sight both lose their respective silencer after detonating the C4. However, if the player exchanges one of these weapons for another, and picks it up again after detonating the C4, they will retain their silencers.
 * The crew of the Little Bird that picks you up at the end of the mission have the models of Volker and Pelayo.
 * At the end of the mission when you are in the Little Bird, you pull out an M14 EBR with a scope. Even though you may already have 2 other weapons you still equip this. It may be possible a crew member on the Little Bird gave it to you.
 * It is strange that the guns you start with would operate correctly, because many waterlogged guns would jam or would not fire at all. FN SCARs, M4s and HK MP5Ks however are designed to operate in such conditions, as they were specifically designed for extreme conditions.
 * Team One is comprised of Soap, Ghost, Roach and Peasant who doesn't get replaced after getting killed.
 * Peasant always carries a MP5K with red dot and silencer, but sometimes it has red camo.
 * Team Two which comprises of Robot and Zach disappear after rescuing the second group of hostages directly after you play the C4. However, two boats can be seen leaving the oil rig after the second group of hostages are rescued. It is possible this is Team Two.
 * When the Little Bird comes to attack you after troops rope in, it is possible to shoot down the Little Bird with an RPG, M203, or an AT-4, but you have to aim and fire it fast before it blinds you with a searchlight and its guns tear you apart.
 * The soldier that the player drags underwater and kills always has the same model, while the one opposite him will always be different. Likewise, the soldier having a smoke while leaning over the rails will always be the same.
 * If the player alerts the helicopter that is seen patrolling the perimeter, it will spin up its guns, and they will fail the mission and receive the message "You have alerted the enemy - the hostages have been executed."
 * If the player ignores the enemy helicopter when it attacks them, it will continue to pursue them all the way to the top deck, providing the player stays in its spotlight. If they evade its light, it will stay on lower decks searching for them. It will instantly disappear when the player breaches the final room.