Posted on 02/07/2007 1:20:58 AM PST by HAL9000
Excerpt -
BAGHDAD, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Wednesday it was checking reports that a Chinook transport helicopter might have come down near Baghdad.Two witnesses in the area, just north of Baghdad, told Reuters they saw a Chinook helicopter come down amid gunfire from the ground. They said it was unclear if the helicopter had crashed or made an emergency landing.
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(Excerpt) Read more at research.tdameritrade.com ...
I know it when I see it. It looked like a lame attempt at humor to me. Didn't make sense anyway. The previous four choppers were downed by missiles or ground fire - not gravity.
Why in the world was this taken out of Breaking News?
Good Question.
Outrageous!
AFP reporting that Al-Qaida in Iraq is claiming responsibility for this act of terrorism.
Shoulder fired missiles is the primary reason Russia pulled out of Afghanistan. Supplied by us .
They were losing planes and helicopters at a rate they couldn't accept.
This is not a good turn of events.
This is directly related to the infiltration of the Iraqi police forces and border guard by the Shiite militia, allowing trucks safe passage loaded down with ground to air rockets and EFP’s (Explosive Form Projectiles).
Is there another thread on this or something?
Why we haven't sealed the Iran border is beyond me. Maybe we try but can't.
A squadron of Predators on 24/7 patrol over border crossings might do the trick.
it is confirmed - it crashed, this is the 5th in 2-weeks.
It is time to really rethink this entire operation/war.
After the fourth one, I thought they were changing tactics and flight operations. What does this mean?? I have a loved one in Iraq who is a pilot (thankfully not affected by today's news. God bless those and the families of those affected today).
As a pilot, perhaps leadpenny can offer some insight on this? Are they not changing tactics, or is there only so much they can change? Do you think now after this fifth one they will do more to prevent this?
Prayers to all.
It is time that the United States and its allies admit the oh-so-obvious: Iran is at war with the West. These missiles didn't grow on trees or get manufactured in some cave. They came from Iran.
Unfortunately, Iraq may end up being a lost cause. However, that does not mean that we pull out and come home. Rather, it means we take the war directly to the enemy and inflict maximum pain. This crap is coming to a head, and it's time to pop the zit known as iSlam.
Launch the B-2s and B-52s and commence firing on Iranian military targets within Iraq and across the border.
I don't know what they might be doing to change their tactics. In South Vietnam you usually flew high enough to avoid small arms. If the jungle provided enough cover and the weather forced you to stay low, you would stay real low - below 50' above the tree tops. And you'd fly varied routes. In Iraq, it's becoming something completely different. I never had to contend with missiles.
10 Tomahawks for every SA-7.
That sounds about right.
Yeah, that's what scares me- I don't know what they can do differently to avoid missiles (aside from directly taking care of the terrorists with the missiles of course).
Sickening, frustrating, and scary. So from here we just continue to pray.
This not good. Not good at all. I flew choppers for two tours in Vietnam. I can't imagine flying in this environment.
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I bet you was the guy that got bushes in the skids...
Welcome Home...;0)
"I bet you was the guy that got bushes in the skids... "
Even when we didn't need to. We just called it "low-leveling." After Vietnam the Army put a name on it - "Nap of the Earth" flying.
Usually you could get a H model Huey to about 110 knots. It was addictive down in the tree tops, but, if Lycoming ever quit, you knew you were going down in whatever was in front of you. Most of the time commanders didn't want you doing it, but most of us were young, stupid and had no future anyway, so why not? On my second tour I flew a Corps Arty CG for a while and he wanted to do nothing but "low level" flying. For me it was a license to steal.
Here but for the grace of God.
It's like a punch in the gut when I hear of a chopper going down like this. Small arms fire is almost a fair fight, but we haven't been in a fair fight for some time.
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