Twenty Injured After Helicopter Attacked in Iraq

Fox News ^ | Sunday, November 02, 2003

[Rams82]

FALLUJAH, Iraq

[ARCADIA]

I am surprised we do not have a light weight defense system for our helicopters to eliminate the treat from shoulder fired missles. A computer controlled 50 cal gun with an 360 degree sensing device should work. Just detect the incoming projectile; define its trajetory; then fire a round at the warhead and another at whomever is standing at the launch point.

[dennisw]

That sounds like lot of added weight for the helicopter

[Prodigal Son]

The terrorists who did this have to be getting good intelligence somewhere.

I was thinking about that as well. It was an extra blow as well that the soldiers were going on their R and R and Leave. It makes me wonder if the terrorists knew that fact or not.

Then again, from the flip side- if you installed a man in a safe house near the airport, he could literally wait until he had a nice juicy target, even if it took days. If they did it like Slobo, they could use cell phones as a slow moving radar/warning system to let their man know something was on the way.

[Prodigal Son]

As painful as the loss of so many troops is, the question will be raised and I don't believe the Army will have an answer. Surely the thought these choppers would be targets for shoulder fired missiles must have occured to the brass.

Is there a particular system you have in mind? Does one even exist for anti-RPG fire? I'm asking seriously. I'm not much up on the aviation end of things.

[Prodigal Son]

I say that assuming it was an RPG of course. I have no reason to assume this. I could've been something more sophisticated.

[Alamo-Girl]

I join in prayer for our troops!

[boxerblues]

Prayers for all those who were hurt and killed today. An extra prayer is needed for mystery-ak husband who made to Kuwait but lost a couple of soldiers from his unit.

[blackie]

Prayers going out for our troops, their families and loved ones ~ Bump!

[Radix]

So are the Democrats.

The Democrats, and particularly most of the presidential campaigners, in collusion with the liberal media are completely reckless with their "journalistic" methods these last few months.

They all hate Bush, and that is plain, but when they do things that are clearly designed to motivate terrorists to kill our Troops (that is exactly what they are doing) it is beyond editorializing. It is subversive. I despise the liberal media so much that I am having to force myself to ignore a lot of it.

This is problematic for me because I feel that it is important to keep informed about what others are getting in the news. Aarrgghh! I am raging at a machine. It is terribly frustrating when one realizes that reporters who are protected by our Troops are the ones who are actually contributing to the deaths of our Volunteers.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Prayers going out for our troops, their families and loved ones.

Any word yet on which units? My nephew is over with the 101st and was due on an R&R.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Prayers going out for our troops, their families and loved ones.

So sorry....meant to add that my prayers are with them all in spades.

[technomage]

Fighting a PC war is riciculous. We must release the hounds of war and crush this resistance once and for all.

Even though most of Iraq is peaceful, this resistance is gaining momentum. The attacks are becomming better coordinated, and deadlier. They are becomming bolder and this in turn generates more terrorists and terrorism. They see the attacks escalating and want part of the action to kill Americans.

It appears, and I emphasize appears, that the terrorists are getting better coordinated while at the same time our intelligence appears to be going nowhere.

This has to stop, and stop soon, or something very large will happen that will become the death nell of our involvement in Iraq. Sort of like Reagan's Beirut or Clinton's Somalia.

Bush needs to get mad, tough and un-PC and kill these terrorist cells now!! Let our men and women do what they are trained to do: Wage War. They are not policeman.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I was where you are re. the press last June. Make sure you read enough truth and goodness to replace their spin, Radix. Freepers are eager to post and keep track of the bad. Skim the repetitive "news" and go to the sources for the facts (troops, DoD, trustworthy reporters). Then share the facts with others.

It helps.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

My nephew is over with the 101st and was due on an R&R.

Just saw your post, Bob. I don't know which unit.

Will check.

What's his first name? We'll keep him in our prayers.

[mystery-ak]

From what I know no one from the 101st....I can't post what I've been told, but the 101 was not mentioned.....a sad day for us though, we lost 1 crewmember...I hope the numbers don't rise.

[Arkie2]

Don't know if it was an RPG. The article stated witnesses identified it as a shoulder fired IR missile. There are defenses against those because they guide on engine heat and can be spoofed. There are no real defenses against an RPG except armor but it's not a guided weapon.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

I'm so sorry. Your hubby - and you - have to be so strong for others.

From CENTCOM / CJTF7:

15 SOLDIERS KILLED, 21 WOUNDED IN HELICOPTER INCIDENT

AR RAMADI, Iraq – Fifteen soldiers were killed and 21 were wounded when a Coalition helicopter went down near the city of Amiryah at approximately 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2.

The helicopter, a CH-47 Chinook, was transporting personnel to the Baghdad International Airport when the incident happened.

An aerial quick reaction force was immediately dispatched to the scene and a ground force secured the site, located near Fallujah.

The wounded soldiers were evacuated to nearby medical facilities.

The aircraft is assigned to the 12th Aviation Brigade, which was operating in support of the 82d Airborne Division Task Force.

The CH-47 Chinook is a medium-duty dual-rotor helicopter designed to provide medium lift or to carry personnel.

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

[BOBTHENAILER]

.....a sad day for us though, we lost 1 crewmember...I hope the numbers don't rise.

A sad day indeed, and I concur on the numbers not rising. Thanks for the info from you both.

Payback is gonna be hell for the scum perps who commited this attack.

[PhilDragoo]

Saw some celebrators on FOX. Broached my brilliant plan to an AF nam vet and it goes:

Every celebration gets a daisy cutter.

If the press filming the celebration gets cut, well, it will steepen its learning curve.

I heard all the bleating about the chopper hit is a "national tragedy" and we "must not lose our resolve."

No, it's not a tragedy; a tragedy is Shakespeare. This is an outrage; this is war.

This calls for extreme measures, not pee-cee and roe's from hell.

A colonel described how in Vietnam his people held cong backwards over logs and poured helmetsful of water down their nose to get the whole term paper.

The court martial against Col. Alan West must be stopped--I called Army Public Affairs and gave the long version to a live person--it worked to rid us of Sara Lister, remember?

We do need to be unfettered by borders: no safe haven in Syria or Iran.

We do need to make the terrorists pay a price--their homes and families are forfeit.

I don't want any more patronization from on high about tragedies and not losing resolve.

And oh yes the nice missiles from our friends Chirac and Putin--give Powell and the pantaloon brigade a wedgie--enough with the diplospeak.

And why is Iran allowed to hold al Qaeda? Why is Assad allowed to harbor terrorists? Why is Arafat still consuming oxygen?

[SAMWolf]

Good post Phil. They need to know there is no where to go and that they won't be arrested or detained, just dead. They want too met Allah, let's hasten the trip.