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Crew of gunship 'Spooky 41' are all awarded medals after raining fire on ISIS militants for NINE hours to allow rescue of 15 wounded soldiers in Afghanistan battle likened to Iwo Jima
UK Daily Mail ^ | March 3, 2020 | James Gordon

Posted on 03/03/2020 6:05:04 AM PST by C19fan

The crew of a U.S. gunship have been awarded bravery medals at a ceremony in Florida after they rained fire down on Islamic State militants for hours, as allied soldiers on the ground were whisked to safety.

Forces on the ground came under heavy fire from ISIS militants in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on April 3, 2019, in a ferocious fight which one Major on the ground likened to infamous WW2 battle Iwo Jima.

They called for backup from 'Spooky 41' - a AC-13OU gunship, and the Hercules-variant plane arrived within minutes to provide covering fire and ensure medical helicopters could safely evacuate the injured.

The crew were up in the air for nine hours and managed to suppress enemy fire during the evacuation of 15 wounded soldiers.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; c130; gunship
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To: RideForever

https://weheartit.com/entry/533664


41 posted on 03/03/2020 7:44:47 AM PST by RideForever (We were born to be tested)
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To: C19fan

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is one of my all-time favorite aircraft. Loud as sin inside, though.


42 posted on 03/03/2020 7:48:33 AM PST by ought-six (Multiculturalism is national suicide, and political correctness is the cyanide capsule.)
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To: C19fan

So many things went right that day. Congratulations to everyone involved it could have been very bad. But these airmen and soldiers trained hard and fought hard.

Respect


43 posted on 03/03/2020 7:51:30 AM PST by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: niteowl77

Rommel had officers classified efficiently: lazy/efficient - smart/stupid.

He said the most dangerous officer of them all was the efficient/stupid variant. Lazy/stupid were the 60 percent of the normal distribution. efficient/smart generally were shown the door by the efficient/stupid.

This explains the USAF trying to ditch the A-10 for so many years.


44 posted on 03/03/2020 7:54:28 AM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: RinaseaofDs

efficient/smart generally were shown the door by the efficient/stupid.
= = =

Maybe do you mean lazy/smart were shown the door?


45 posted on 03/03/2020 8:11:17 AM PST by Scrambler Bob (This is not /s. It is just as viable as any MSM 'information', maybe more so!)
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To: Scrambler Bob

Unfortunately, he has it right.

It was competent/incompetent and industrious/lazy.

“Competent/industrious make good staff officers. Incompetent/lazy are the cannon fodder. Competent/lazy make good Commanders (they do things the easiest way). Industrious/incompetents? We shoot them. They are nothing but trouble.”


46 posted on 03/03/2020 8:19:56 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: agere_contra
Cutaway view of crew stations:


47 posted on 03/03/2020 8:27:28 AM PST by Alas Babylon! (The prisons do not fill themselves. Get moving, Barr!)
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To: AppyPappy

On some bombing runs, 1,000 bombers would go out on mission and only 500 bombers would return to their home airfields. Aircrews were in the 10-12 man range so that’s 5000-6000 airman gone (wounded, captured or killed) per day or night. Returning aircrews were able to report on what happened to some of the aircrews as they had seen them bail out, get shot down or crash into the ground, but for many other aircrews that did not return, they simply vanished- never to be seen or heard from ever again.


48 posted on 03/03/2020 8:29:33 AM PST by freepersup (BQQM!)
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To: AppyPappy

So what? It’s not a freakin’ contest.


49 posted on 03/03/2020 8:32:40 AM PST by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: HP8753
Operation Smouldering Turban !

I was thinking "Operation Oh Yes I Guess I Really am a Christian After All!!"

50 posted on 03/03/2020 8:42:53 AM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: C19fan

Glad to hear not all AC-130s are gathering dust..


51 posted on 03/03/2020 9:20:17 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Monthly Donors Rock!!!)
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To: RinaseaofDs; blueunicorn6

Too bad Jack Welch didn’t read his book...


52 posted on 03/03/2020 9:25:03 AM PST by Kommodor (Terrorist, Journalist or Democrat? I can't tell the difference.)
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To: C19fan

Why is it necessary for headlines to exaggerate x50. Not necessary.


53 posted on 03/03/2020 9:30:35 AM PST by Leep (Everyday is Trump Day!)
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To: carriage_hill

2 full size gun safes? Impressive.


54 posted on 03/03/2020 10:21:38 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: allendale

Simply put: You never ever want to mess with the United States Military.

(CTT3/USN/1988-1992)


55 posted on 03/03/2020 10:44:01 AM PST by ro_dreaming (Chesterton, 'Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It's been found hard and not tried')
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To: trebb

Puff was DC3 or C47 in military parlance

Still devastating


56 posted on 03/03/2020 10:46:45 AM PST by wardaddy (I applaud Jim Robinson for his comments on the Southern Monuments decision ...thank you)
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To: Alas Babylon!

I remember in Vietnam Nam we were told they could put a round in every square foot of a football field in 3 seconds!


57 posted on 03/03/2020 11:01:32 AM PST by Desparado
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To: wardaddy; trebb

58 posted on 03/03/2020 11:12:34 AM PST by Pelham (RIP California, killed by massive immigration)
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To: Pelham

I’m familiar with Dakotas as you can imagine

Ours weren’t armed though lol


59 posted on 03/03/2020 11:21:48 AM PST by wardaddy (I applaud Jim Robinson for his comments on the Southern Monuments decision ...thank you)
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To: FLT-bird

It’s a LARGE Cannon T-65 single safe w/ 2 doors, 7ft tall, 6ft wide and 3ft deep. They only made 50 of them. Weighs 3,800lbs, so it was a bear getting it from my sold nursery business office to my condo, w/ heavy equipment.


60 posted on 03/03/2020 1:46:18 PM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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