My hubby is a 1sg for a Chinook Co....they are all back from Iraq now.....lost one Chinook and crew to a RPG in Nov of 03....the rest of his Bn, blackhawks, are still there and one of those blackhawks was shot down last week...the pilot, Maj Duckworth, lost both legs and may lose her arm....see tagline.
The flying skills of those Chinook pilots is something to behold. I've watched them in daylight flying over the base and around the provence. 100' off the ground, practically nose-to-tail, banking and turning as they go with the gunners leaning out, looking for targets. It'll never be seen in the media. It's too good for them.
Praying for the Major, and all her brethren.