4 US Soldiers killed in Kuwait (blackhawk crash)

[Norman Arbuthnot]

DOes anyone know if it was Army or Marines? Any info would be appreciated.

Army.

[Enlightiator]

Four U.S. Soldiers Die in Kuwait Helicopter Crash
Mon February 24, 2003 10:03 PM ET
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Kuwait on Tuesday when their helicopter crashed during training in the desert, the U.S. military said.
Their UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter went down near Camp New Jersey, a temporary U.S. military base 30 miles north of Kuwait City, while conducting night training, a U.S. military statement said. The four were the only people aboard.
The soldiers' identification is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are in the Gulf Arab state to prepare for a possible assault on neighboring Iraq to force the government of President Saddam Hussein to give up weapons of mass destruction. Iraq denies it has any such weapons.

[Big Steve]

Thanks for the info.

[hellinahandcart]

I am a REAL patriot

You are a REAL asshole. Nothing like piggybacking your agenda onto the genuine mourning of others, eh?

Vampire...

[Nick The Freeper]

Thanks for the info. Has there been any mention of where they were based out of in the US? God bless the soldiers and their families.

[Ramius]

I do not believe that this war is going to justify the high cost in lives.

Yes, it will. Unfortunately for you, you'll never get to compare the loss of life in Iraq for the loss of life in, say, Chicago... after a nerve gas attack in the ventilation system of a high rise.

There are some of us that would trade some of the former for the latter.

[Enlightiator]

4 Die in U.S. Helicopter Crash in Kuwait
By Thomas E. Ricks
Monday, February 24, 2003; 9:45 PM

Four Army soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait, the U.S. military said last night.
The soldiers were the crew of a UH-60 Black Hawk that was conducting a night exercise with another helicopter from the Army's Germany-based 5th Corps, said the Central Command, the headquarters for U.S. military operations in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.....

Full story at Washington Post, link above.

[arete]

Unfortunately for you, you'll never get to compare the loss of life in Iraq for the loss of life in, say, Chicago... after a nerve gas attack in the ventilation system of a high rise.

I hope that we are never again attacked by terrorists of any sort, but I have to tell you that looting Iraq's oil and getting rid of Saddam will do nothing to prevent such an attack. On the contrary, it may make the odds greater.

Richard W.

[dighton]

You [arete] are a REAL asshole.

Seconded.

Prayers for our fallen heroes, their families, and all who serve.

[eleni121]

Your comment reflects a scarcity of facts and an absence of sensitivity at a time like this.

Perhaps a change in moniker from arete to idiot is in order.

[Poohbah]

Concur. Obviously arete's mummy and daddy didn't pay him enough attention when he was an infant.

[Enlightiator]

Four U.S. soldiers killed in Kuwait copter accident Military: Black Hawk crashed during training mission Monday, February 24, 2003 Posted: 9:21 PM EST (0221 GMT)

KUWAIT CITY (CNN) -- Four U.S. soldiers were killed early Tuesday when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Camp New Jersey, about 31 miles [50 kilometers] northwest of Kuwait City, U.S. Central Command said.

The soldiers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The aircraft was on a night training mission when it crashed about 1 a.m. (5 p.m. Monday EST). The four crew members were the only personnel on board the aircraft.

The cause of the crash is being investigated, Central Command said.

In Afghanistan last month, another U.S. Army Black Hawk crashed during a nighttime training mission, killing all four crew members on board.

That aircraft, an MH-60 Black Hawk modified for special operations and technically known as a Pave Hawk, went down on the Shomali Plains about seven miles [11 kilometers] due east of Bagram Air Base, headquarters for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

[Cachelot]

On the contrary, it may make the odds greater.

Hey, slimeball? This is a thread where people are awaiting information about possible dead family members. Please take your "war for oil" crackpottery and crawl over to that "libertarian" sinkhole where they keep scum like you.

Now get the f out of here.

[B-Cause]

Bump

Thanks Cachelot - We are looking for detail to see if it is our son's Blackhawk.

[Cagey]

Prayers for the families of the deceased.

Thanks for the ping to this sacred thread, Rush. We will never forget them. Ever.

[Ramius]

...but I have to tell you that looting Iraq's oil and getting rid of Saddam will do nothing to prevent such an attack.

I'm sorry, but that is IMHO a naive worldview. This war may be about several things, but it just simply isn't about Iraqi oil for the U.S. It just isn't. In fact, middle east oil in general is simply insignificant to the U.S. If you were making a point about Venezuela, you'd have a better point. We get vastly more oil from South America than the middle east.

Iraq is in contact with Al Queda operatives. You may not believe that just yet, but you will, one way or the other. Iraq has provided, and will provide more if not stopped, both expertise and materiel to terrorists bent on causing harm in the U.S.

I don't expect you to believe just me, at least not yet, but stay tuned. It will become irrefutable, one way or the other. I prefer the "one way".

[Ramius]

My gut tells me that perhaps this wasn't a "training accident". Perhaps that's just a cover for something much more dangerous that went badly, at least in part. There are many heroes lost in "training accidents" that go forever unsung, merely by the nature of what they were asked to do. It's a dangerous business.

Prayers are in order, either way, and I am personally humbled by their service, either way.

[rotorhawk]

Highly unlikely that it was from a missle since our IR suppression and jamming can defeat any seekers not on in our possession.

More likely it was a training accident under NVG with the cause either being brown out during the approach (sand blowing up and obscuring the crew's visual reference to the ground) or inability to detect rising terrain or an obstruction.

In the first go around I flew MEDEVAC and from the period of Aug thru Dec most of my evacs on a night aviation accident was due to one of those two causes, including the evac of another MEDEVAC crew that hit a 200 foot sand dune at high speed while enroute to the Combat Support Hospital with an urgent patient onboard. All survived, thank goodness.

Flying a military mission-low level-at night-under goggles-in featureless terrain is a highly perishable skill and can make for some high adrenaline moments even for the most experienced of pilots and crew chiefs. In this mode of flight, at any given second and for any multitude of reasons-things suddenly go wrong and recovery becomes impossible.

Ironically, I just flew an NVG training flight with a new WO1 out of flight school who is younger than my daughter. She turned 22 last November.

Tomorrow night when we strap on the Black Hawk to complete his NVG progression training you can be assured that this will be a topic for discussion, relfection and learning.

Soon he too will be joining the procession to Kuwait. I always worry that I've done enough when I certify these youngsters as trained and qualified although I'm sure that my old instructors had the same concerns for me at one time...

I'm rambling. Mostly I just lurk but tonight is exceptional. Those kids who made the ultimate sacrifice today are from my old unit. Please have them, their comrades and their families in your prayers tonight.

God Bless.

[Sunshine55]