Army Aviation Plays Key ‘Moshtarak’ Role

American Forces Press Service ^ | Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute, USA

[SandRat]

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Feb. 17, 2010 – When Operation Moshtarak kicked off here Feb. 13, Army helicopter crews from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade inserted nearly 300 Marines and Afghan security forces into Marja, Afghanistan, under cover of darkness.

Marines carry their gear out to Army helicopters prior to an air assault into Marja, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2010. UH-60 Black Hawk CH-47F Chinook helicopters inserted nearly 300 Marines into the objective area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute  
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47F Chinooks and AH-64 Apaches from Task Force Pegasus facilitated the air assault of Kilo Company, 3/6 Marines, in seizing their objective area.

“Protected by Apache air weapons teams, the Marines and their partnered Afghan security forces quickly began moving to their initial objective, seizing key terrain and preparing to link up with their parent headquarters scheduled to begin a ground assault into Marja,” said Army Col. Paul Bricker, 82nd CAB commander.

Shortly after the Marine insertion, additional Task Force Pegasus aviation assets assisted a coalition air assault into nearby objective areas in Nad Ali. Task Force Pegasus’s 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Aviation Regiment -- Task Force Wolfpack -- was one of three helicopter units involved in the operation in support of the British Task Force Jaguar.

“Their air assault was equally effective in seizing key terrain in the city of Nad Ali, located adjacent and northeast of Marja,” Bricker said. “Their operation was even more complex, as it included over 20 rotary-wing aircraft from the U.S., Britain and Canada.”

Task Force Pegasus continues to provide support to operation Moshtarak, but the focus has turned from aerial security to medical evacuation. Casualty evacuation teams are standing by to transport wounded coalition and Afghan forces to appropriate field hospitals as necessary.

“[The CH-47F Chinook] has been specially configured with helicopter cabin litter support systems and manned with TF Pegasus surgeons and medics to conduct critical patient transfers from less-capable combat surgical wards within Helmand province to southern Afghanistan’s largest and most advanced hospital on Kandahar Air Base,” Bricker said.

The 82nd CAB has completed more than 120 air-assault operations throughout southern Afghanistan over the last 10 months in support of operations by the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces.

(Army Staff Sgt. Aubree Clute of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade serves in the Task Force Pegasus public affairs office.)

[SandRat]

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[freedumb2003]

Captain Dale Dye (Marines) has a regular program on KFI Los Angeles (on hiatus now).

If there was ever someone who HATES copters, it is Dye. Any time any discussion about helicopters cam around, especially as transports, he would say “helicopters do not fly — they beat the air into submission.” Even on the radio you could see his disgust with them.

Cracked me up every time.

[RVN Airplane Driver]

It is obvious that Dye never had his a$$ on the line when folks in the Helicopter biz saved his a$$, unlike thousands upon thousands of folks don’t share his stupid sentiments.

[xone]

If there was ever someone who HATES copters

He can walk, carry his own chow/ammo, get his own casualties out, KMA etc.

[freedumb2003]

>>He can walk, carry his own chow/ammo, get his own casualties out, KMA etc<<

Clearly he saw them as a necessary evil. Maybe he had something bad happen in or near one (nothing in his bio says so, through).

Don’t get mad at me — I was just quoting him!

[freedumb2003]

>>It is obvious that Dye never had his a$$ on the line when folks in the Helicopter biz saved his a$$, unlike thousands upon thousands of folks don’t share his stupid sentiments.<<

I am not his spokesman or anything, but after listening to him for years I can tell you that anyone and everyone in uniform and every piece of military ordinance was greatly praised and respected by Captain Dye. He clearly just didn’t seem to care for choppers as much as other transportation.

[xone]

If you are in them long enough, something bad or near bad will happen. Until then however they are greatest invention of man and pure joy when employed properly.

I know you are quoting him, I've heard the same before. Evil? Gimme some more evil then.