Posted on 07/03/2007 4:05:58 PM PDT by bad company
WASHINGTON — Giving up his seat to a wounded soldier, an Army officer strapped himself to the side of an Apache helicopter gunship that airlifted them out of a furious firefight in Iraq, the military said Monday.
The Army called it an "unusual casualty evacuation," but Chief Warrant Officer Allen Crist's selfless act goes way beyond heroism.
Realizing that Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine needed medical attention fast, Crist put the critically wounded man in his own spot on the Apache on Saturday.
Crist then rigged a harness to strap himself to the fuselage and crouched on the stubby left gun wing of the aircraft.
With Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Purtee, of Houston, at the controls and Crist hanging on for dear life, the Apache flew out of the battle zone. It kept low, about 200 feet, until it reached a field hospital, the military said.
Jamaleldine, 31, of Fort Smith, Ark., was later reported in stable condition.
Army officials could not immediately recall an Apache ever being used before for a medical evacuation — and certainly not with the co-pilot riding outside.
Crist and Purtee, from Company B, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, were part of a four-Apache team that came to help U.S. troops pinned down under heavy fire in Ramadi.
Extremely gutsy, they had no weapons with the CPG outside!
Talk about Selflessness.That guy is a HERO IMHO. We need more people like him.
Makes me even more proud to be an American!
A truly brave American soldier. GOD protect him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6269613.stm
BBC News - 17 January 2007
When his colleagues regrouped and found he was missing, they flew back.
Four strapped themselves to two Apache helicopters which landed inside and outside the fort's wall. But they discovered he was already dead.
UK Task Force spokesman, Lt Col Rory Bruce, said the heroic mission was a "leap into the unknown".
"This is believed to be the first time UK forces have ever tried this type of rescue mission," he said.
"It was an extraordinary tale of heroism and bravery of our airmen, soldiers and marines who were all prepared to put themselves back into the line of fire to rescue a fallen comrade.
"And it was with great sadness they later found their brother-in-arms had been killed in action."
L/Cpl Ford was part of a 200-strong force, who attacked the major Taleban fort to the south of Garmsir in the southern province.
The MoD said the Apache helicopter can only carry a pilot and a gunner but there are attachments on the wings for personnel to harness themselves to in emergencies.
The fort had been a surveillance target for more than two months.
A third Apache helicopter and other units provided covering fire, as the rescue bid got under way, the MoD said.
The helicopters landed in the fort and located L/Cpl Ford's body, which they then strapped to the Apache.
L/Cpl Ford, who was the eldest of three brothers, was brought up in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire - where his mother and stepfather still reside.
He shared a flat in Dundee with his fiancée, Ina.
His mother, Joan, said: "We are all devastated by the news of Mathew's death.
"He was a larger-than-life character who lived his life to the full.
"He was a wonderful son to me and brother to Thomas and Scott and was looking forward to his future with Ina."
L/Cpl Ford's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Dewar RM, said the serviceman's "professionalism, reliability, and selflessness as well as his sharp wit marked him out from the crowd".
I saw that on the news earlier holy shit! That would have been scarier than the crash. That took some balls. But I am glad they are alive and well.
Uncommon valor ping.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Allen Crist and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kevin Purtee, Company B, 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment (Attack), 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, checks on the medical condition of Spc. Jeffrey Jamaleldine, Company C, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, after an unusual Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on June 30, 2007. (U.S. Army photos by Maj. Gregory T. O’Connor)
You got it!
They're all cowboys flying those attack helo's - God bless them - It is a past time in Iraq to sit back and watch the little birds (AH-6s) of ours (US) and of BW dart around like rocket-armed hornets taking the fight to AQ and their mimics...
Actually, British have done this in Afghanistan too. Very gutsy.
wow. Let’s see MICHAEL MOORE DO THAT!
Now THAT is a REAL frigging HERO.....
Meadow Muffin
Gives new meaning to the phrase “everyday heros.” God bless them all
The pilot still had the chain gun - it’s slaved to his helmet and helmet-mount sight on the Apache.
That said, hope he gets the Silver Star or DSC for that. That took balls.
Wasn’t a medevac - and there was a SEAL team in Afghanistan that was evacuated in the same way by Army Apaches.
Somewhere there’s a picture of four guys strapped to the Apache - it was linked to FR, too.
Thought I heard about it being done before ... thanks for the info. Spiffy work.
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