Probe finds no U.S. fault in Afghan chopper crash that killed 30 Americans
By CHARLIE REED
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 13, 2011
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A U.S. military investigation has found that the August helicopter crash that killed 30 Americans in Afghanistan was the result of a Taliban attack, not poor planning or faulty equipment.
The investigation confirmed initial reports that the CH-47 Chinook was downed by a Taliban rocket-propelled grenade, making it the deadliest single attack in the decadelong war.
Seventeen of the Americans on board were Navy SEALs on a mission to capture or kill a senior Taliban leader in the region. Eight Afghans working with U.S. forces — some of whom were military commandos — were also killed when the chopper crashed in Wardak province Aug. 6 while pursuing the target, Qari Tahir.
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Showing posts with label Chinook helicopter crash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinook helicopter crash. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Navy SEAL wore flag under body armor until last mission, in Chinook shot down
Navy SEAL Leaves Shining Legacy
By: James Kinsella
Published: 08/12/11
In late June, Navy SEAL Kevin A. Houston, a 1994 graduate of Barnstable High School, was visiting his surrogate father, Christopher Kelly of Osterville.
“Oh, wait a minute,” he said to Mr. Kelly, who served in the 101st Airborne Division in during the Vietnam War. “I’ve got something for you.”
Mr. Houston went out to his car and brought back an American flag wrapped folded into in a square, and a letter.
The letter gave a history of the flag: Mr. Houston had worn it between his chest and his body armor in all three of his deployments in to Afghanistan.
In those deployments, he had worn the flag on more than 100 capture/kill missions that resulted in 650 enemy killed in action and 300 enemy detained.
Mr. Houston also was wearing the flag on the mission when one of his best friends was killed.
“I carried this flag for you from the beginning,” he wrote in the letter to Mr. Kelly. “I’m honored to hand this to you.”
By early this month, Mr. Houston, a special warfare operator chief petty officer, was back in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment.
Then, this past Saturday, Mr. Houston was riding in a NATO Chinook helicopter on a mission above the mountains of eastern Afghanistan when the aircraft was shot down, killing him and the other 37 people on board, including 21 other Navy SEALs. He was 35.
read more here
By: James Kinsella
Published: 08/12/11
In late June, Navy SEAL Kevin A. Houston, a 1994 graduate of Barnstable High School, was visiting his surrogate father, Christopher Kelly of Osterville.
“Oh, wait a minute,” he said to Mr. Kelly, who served in the 101st Airborne Division in during the Vietnam War. “I’ve got something for you.”
Mr. Houston went out to his car and brought back an American flag wrapped folded into in a square, and a letter.
The letter gave a history of the flag: Mr. Houston had worn it between his chest and his body armor in all three of his deployments in to Afghanistan.
In those deployments, he had worn the flag on more than 100 capture/kill missions that resulted in 650 enemy killed in action and 300 enemy detained.
Mr. Houston also was wearing the flag on the mission when one of his best friends was killed.
“I carried this flag for you from the beginning,” he wrote in the letter to Mr. Kelly. “I’m honored to hand this to you.”
By early this month, Mr. Houston, a special warfare operator chief petty officer, was back in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment.
Then, this past Saturday, Mr. Houston was riding in a NATO Chinook helicopter on a mission above the mountains of eastern Afghanistan when the aircraft was shot down, killing him and the other 37 people on board, including 21 other Navy SEALs. He was 35.
read more here
Thursday, August 11, 2011
DoD names troops killed in Chinook shot down, 2 from Florida
Staff reports
Posted : Thursday Aug 11, 2011 11:08:08 EDT
The identities of 30 U.S. service members killed last week in the Afghan war’s deadliest episode have been made public by the Defense Department after several days of debate over whether to release their names.
These men were assigned to an East Coast-based naval special warfare unit:
• Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Jonas B. Kelsall, 32, of Shreveport, La.
• Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Louis J. Langlais, 44, of Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Thomas A. Ratzlaff, 34, of Green Forest, Ark.
• Senior Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EXW/FPJ) Kraig M. Vickers 36, of Kokomo, Hawaii.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Brian R. Bill, 31, of Stamford, Conn.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) John W. Faas, 31, of Minneapolis.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Kevin A. Houston, 35, of West Hyannisport, Mass.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Matthew D. Mason, 37, of Kansas City, Mo.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Stephen M. Mills, 35, of Fort Worth, Texas.
• Chief Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EXW/FPJ/DV) Nicholas H. Null, 30, of Washington, W.Va.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Robert J. Reeves, 32, of Shreveport, La.
• Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Heath M. Robinson, 34, of Detroit.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Darrik C. Benson, 28, of Angwin, Calif.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL/PJ) Christopher G. Campbell, 36, of Jacksonville, N.C.
• Information Systems Technician 1st Class (EXW/FPJ) Jared W. Day, 28, of Taylorsville, Utah.
• Master-at-Arms 1st Class (EXW) John Douangdara, 26, of South Sioux City, Neb.
• Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class (EXW) Michael J. Strange, 25, of Philadelphia.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL/SW) Jon T. Tumilson, 35, of Rockford, Iowa.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Aaron C. Vaughn, 30, of Stuart, Fla.
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Jason R. Workman, 32, of Blanding, Utah.
These sailors were assigned to a West Coast-based naval special warfare unit:
• Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Jesse D. Pittman, 27, of Ukiah, Calif.
• Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Nicholas P. Spehar, 24, of Saint Paul, Minn.
The soldiers killed were:
• Chief Warrant Officer David R. Carter, 47, of Centennial, Colo. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), of Aurora, Colo.
• Chief Warrant Officer Bryan J. Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kan.
• Sgt. Patrick D. Hamburger, 30, of Lincoln, Neb.
• Sgt. Alexander J. Bennett, 24, of Tacoma, Wash.
• Spc. Spencer C. Duncan, 21, of Olathe, Kan.
The airmen killed, all assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron of Pope Field, N.C., were:
• Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Fla.
• Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, Calif.
• Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pa.
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Witnesses: Chinook on fire at time of crash
By Deb Riechmann - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 11, 2011 10:06:49 EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Chinook helicopter that insurgents shot down over the weekend burst into flames before hitting the ground, leaving wreckage scattered on both sides of a river in eastern Afghanistan and killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans, witnesses told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Farhad, a resident of Tangi Valley in Wardak province where the helicopter crashed before dawn Saturday, told Associated Press Television News at the site that it was brought down by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a hillside that he pointed to.
"As soon as it was hit, it started burning," he said, standing in a field still littered with small pieces of the chopper, a part of a gun stamped "Made in Germany" and a piece of paper with typewritten first aid instructions. "After it started burning, it crashed. It came down in three pieces," he added. "We could see it burning from our homes."
Many of the victims' bodies were badly mangled and burned, said Farhad, who like many Afghans uses only one name.
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Wednesday, August 10, 2011
5 more fallen Va. Beach-based SEALs identified
5 more fallen Va. Beach-based SEALs identified
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 10, 2011
Although the Pentagon still has not disclosed the names of those killed in the downing of a Chinook helicopter Saturday, their identities slowly are becoming known. The following five men were all Navy SEALs, all based in Virginia Beach.
read more about them here
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 10, 2011
Although the Pentagon still has not disclosed the names of those killed in the downing of a Chinook helicopter Saturday, their identities slowly are becoming known. The following five men were all Navy SEALs, all based in Virginia Beach.
LOU LANGLAIS
JON TUMILSON
HEATH ROBINSON
JASON WORKMAN
DARRIK BENSON
read more about them here
SEALs killed in Afghanistan chopper crash lived in secrecy
SEALs killed in Afghanistan chopper crash lived in secrecy
The SEALs' veil is lifted, if slightly, after the deaths of 17, along with 13 other Americans, in the helicopter downing. Some family members publicly praise the men's bravery, but much of the sorrow unfolds in private.
By Brian Bennett, Tony Perry and Ashley Powers
August 9, 2011, 9:26 p.m.
Their heroics are conducted, and celebrated, in secrecy. Their deaths are typically mourned the same way.
They are members of the famed U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. Sometimes, they're known simply as Seal Team 6.
When they are killed, no public announcements are made in their hometowns. No impromptu shrines pop up in frontyards. No crowds line the streets to greet their flag-draped caskets.
Members of the elite Seal Team 6 carry out some of the military's riskiest operations, including the May raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which Osama bin Laden was killed. But there is no expectation of public adulation — in life or in death.
Some family members publicly praised the bravery of their husbands and sons, but much of their sorrow unfolded outside the media glare, just as the men's lives had. One SEAL wife, for example, quickly removed the hundreds of condolences that friends had posted on her Facebook page.
When President Obama spent more than an hour Tuesday offering condolences to 250 family members and troops at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, there were no reporters present.
read more here
SEALs killed in Afghanistan chopper crash lived in secrecy
For some of their stories go here
Some troops killed names released
The SEALs' veil is lifted, if slightly, after the deaths of 17, along with 13 other Americans, in the helicopter downing. Some family members publicly praise the men's bravery, but much of the sorrow unfolds in private.
By Brian Bennett, Tony Perry and Ashley Powers
August 9, 2011, 9:26 p.m.
Their heroics are conducted, and celebrated, in secrecy. Their deaths are typically mourned the same way.
They are members of the famed U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. Sometimes, they're known simply as Seal Team 6.
When they are killed, no public announcements are made in their hometowns. No impromptu shrines pop up in frontyards. No crowds line the streets to greet their flag-draped caskets.
Members of the elite Seal Team 6 carry out some of the military's riskiest operations, including the May raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in which Osama bin Laden was killed. But there is no expectation of public adulation — in life or in death.
Some family members publicly praised the bravery of their husbands and sons, but much of their sorrow unfolded outside the media glare, just as the men's lives had. One SEAL wife, for example, quickly removed the hundreds of condolences that friends had posted on her Facebook page.
When President Obama spent more than an hour Tuesday offering condolences to 250 family members and troops at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, there were no reporters present.
read more here
SEALs killed in Afghanistan chopper crash lived in secrecy
For some of their stories go here
Some troops killed names released
Willits mourns Navy SEAL killed in downed copter
Vivian Ho, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
WILLITS (MENDOCINO COUNTY) -- Friends and family members are mourning a former state firefighter from the Mendocino County city of Willits who was killed Saturday when insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter in Afghanistan, killing 38 people onboard.
Jesse Pittman, a 27-year-old Navy SEAL, joined the military after working two seasons for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, where his father, Terry Pittman, also works, said his former supervisor, Battalion Chief Norm Brown.
Friends were surprised when Jesse Pittman, a 2002 graduate of Willits High School, told them he wanted to become a SEAL, said his friend Chris Wilkes, 35. But no one doubted he could complete the training.
Read more: Willits mourns Navy SEAL killed in downed copter
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Obama attends transfer of service members' remains from downed copter
Obama attends transfer of service members' remains from downed copter
From Larry Shaughnessy, CNN
August 9, 2011 5:13 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: All the remains are "unidentifiable" for now, an official says
President Obama pays his respects and visits with family members
Sources say Defense Secretary Panetta is asked not to identify slain SEALS
The remains of the 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel killed arrive in Delaware
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and top Pentagon officials including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen attended Tuesday's dignified transfer of the remains of 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel killed on board a helicopter shot down in Afghanistan over the weekend.
Obama boarded both of the planes that transported the remains to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay his respects, and later joined Panetta, Mullen and U.S. Special Operations Commander Adm. William McRaven in meeting with more than 200 family members and colleagues of the slain service members at a building on the air base, according to background information provided by White House staff members accompanying the president on the trip.
read more here
Obama attends transfer of service members remains from downed copter
From Larry Shaughnessy, CNN
August 9, 2011 5:13 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: All the remains are "unidentifiable" for now, an official says
President Obama pays his respects and visits with family members
Sources say Defense Secretary Panetta is asked not to identify slain SEALS
The remains of the 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel killed arrive in Delaware
Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and top Pentagon officials including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen attended Tuesday's dignified transfer of the remains of 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel killed on board a helicopter shot down in Afghanistan over the weekend.
Obama boarded both of the planes that transported the remains to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay his respects, and later joined Panetta, Mullen and U.S. Special Operations Commander Adm. William McRaven in meeting with more than 200 family members and colleagues of the slain service members at a building on the air base, according to background information provided by White House staff members accompanying the president on the trip.
read more here
Obama attends transfer of service members remains from downed copter
Bodies of 30 killed in Afghanistan return to Dover Air Force Base
Remains of troops come home shrouded in secrecy
Officials debate whether to release names of 30 troops killed in Chinook crash
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 9, 2011 12:43:54 EDT
WASHINGTON — Troops killed in the deadliest incident of the Afghan war came home Tuesday — traveling in death much the same way they did in life — shrouded in secrecy.
Two C-17 aircraft carrying the remains of 30 killed in a weekend helicopter crash arrived late in the morning at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the Pentagon said.
But three days after the downing of the aircraft by insurgents, Defense Department leaders were still debating whether to release their names, several senior officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
read more here
Remains of troops come home shrouded in secrecy
Forces in Afghanistan kill militants involved in downing of copter
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 10, 2011
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The IDs of the 30 U.S. service members killed will be released soon
The aircraft used in Monday's strike was the F-16, but it's not clear how many were involved
The airstrike killed a Taliban leader and the insurgent who fired on the copter, ISAF says
ISAF troops followed them into woods, called for strike; Taliban associates were also killed
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan have killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for the downing of a helicopter that left 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel dead, the commander of U.S. forces there and NATO announced Wednesday.
A precision airstrike killed Mullah Mohibullah -- a Taliban leader -- and the insurgent who fired what's believed to be the rocket-propelled grenade that brought down the helicopter, according to Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Several of their Taliban associates were also killed, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
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Officials debate whether to release names of 30 troops killed in Chinook crash
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Aug 9, 2011 12:43:54 EDT
WASHINGTON — Troops killed in the deadliest incident of the Afghan war came home Tuesday — traveling in death much the same way they did in life — shrouded in secrecy.
Two C-17 aircraft carrying the remains of 30 killed in a weekend helicopter crash arrived late in the morning at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the Pentagon said.
But three days after the downing of the aircraft by insurgents, Defense Department leaders were still debating whether to release their names, several senior officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
read more here
Remains of troops come home shrouded in secrecy
Forces in Afghanistan kill militants involved in downing of copter
By the CNN Wire Staff
August 10, 2011
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The IDs of the 30 U.S. service members killed will be released soon
The aircraft used in Monday's strike was the F-16, but it's not clear how many were involved
The airstrike killed a Taliban leader and the insurgent who fired on the copter, ISAF says
ISAF troops followed them into woods, called for strike; Taliban associates were also killed
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan have killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for the downing of a helicopter that left 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel dead, the commander of U.S. forces there and NATO announced Wednesday.
A precision airstrike killed Mullah Mohibullah -- a Taliban leader -- and the insurgent who fired what's believed to be the rocket-propelled grenade that brought down the helicopter, according to Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Several of their Taliban associates were also killed, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
read more here
10 year old Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father
Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father
By Moni Basu, CNN
August 9, 2011 7:14 a.m. EDT
(CNN) -- A young boy in Kansas was among millions in America who watched the horrifying news this past weekend about the Chinook that went down in Afghanistan's Wardak province.
That boy in Kansas soon found out that his father, a U.S. Army pilot, was aboard the doomed helicopter.
In the midst of his world shattering, he could not understand why the Navy SEALs drew so much attention. There were 30 Americans on board that Chinook. Why wasn't anyone mentioning his father, a chief warrant officer with Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment?
So he sent in a photograph to CNN's iReport of his dad, Bryan Nichols, sitting with four of his Army buddies in front of a military aircraft.
"My father was one of the 30 US Soldiers killed in Afghanistan yesterday with the Seals rescue mission," he wrote. "My father was the pilot of the chinook. I have seen other pictures of victims from this deadly mission and wish you would include a picture of my father. He is the farthest to the left."
read more here
Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father
By Moni Basu, CNN
August 9, 2011 7:14 a.m. EDT
Bryan Nichols, left, is seen sitting with four of his Army buddies in front of a military aircraft.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Braydon Nichols, 10, sent in a photo of his father to CNN's iReport
His father, Bryan Nichols, was killed when the Chinook went down in Afghanistan
Braydon couldn't understand why the Navy SEALs were drawing attention, but not his dad
Bryan Nichols was to have come home on leave in nine days
(CNN) -- A young boy in Kansas was among millions in America who watched the horrifying news this past weekend about the Chinook that went down in Afghanistan's Wardak province.
That boy in Kansas soon found out that his father, a U.S. Army pilot, was aboard the doomed helicopter.
In the midst of his world shattering, he could not understand why the Navy SEALs drew so much attention. There were 30 Americans on board that Chinook. Why wasn't anyone mentioning his father, a chief warrant officer with Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment?
So he sent in a photograph to CNN's iReport of his dad, Bryan Nichols, sitting with four of his Army buddies in front of a military aircraft.
"My father was one of the 30 US Soldiers killed in Afghanistan yesterday with the Seals rescue mission," he wrote. "My father was the pilot of the chinook. I have seen other pictures of victims from this deadly mission and wish you would include a picture of my father. He is the farthest to the left."
read more here
Kansas boy wants world to recognize his fallen father
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Families cope with deaths of 3 guardsmen
Families cope with deaths of 3 guardsmen
By Sean Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 20, 2008 9:18:12 EDT
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sgt. Dan Eshbaugh was an ace helicopter mechanic. Cpl. Michael Thompson volunteered to go to Iraq after learning his unit needed helicopter gunners. Chief Warrant Officer Brady Rudolf, a helicopter pilot, always looked for ways to relate to his fellow soldiers.
These three members of a Lexington, Okla.-based Oklahoma National Guard unit died Thursday when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in southern Iraq — marking the deadliest day for the Oklahoma Guard since combat operations began overseas in 2001.
The deaths bring to 70 the number of Oklahomans killed in Iraq since 2003. Four Texas National Guard soldiers also perished in the crash, military officials said.
The Department of Defense still had not released the names of those killed late Friday, but friends and families of the Oklahoma soldiers said all three had previously deployed to Iraq.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_chinookcrash_092008/
By Sean Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 20, 2008 9:18:12 EDT
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sgt. Dan Eshbaugh was an ace helicopter mechanic. Cpl. Michael Thompson volunteered to go to Iraq after learning his unit needed helicopter gunners. Chief Warrant Officer Brady Rudolf, a helicopter pilot, always looked for ways to relate to his fellow soldiers.
These three members of a Lexington, Okla.-based Oklahoma National Guard unit died Thursday when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in southern Iraq — marking the deadliest day for the Oklahoma Guard since combat operations began overseas in 2001.
The deaths bring to 70 the number of Oklahomans killed in Iraq since 2003. Four Texas National Guard soldiers also perished in the crash, military officials said.
The Department of Defense still had not released the names of those killed late Friday, but friends and families of the Oklahoma soldiers said all three had previously deployed to Iraq.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_chinookcrash_092008/
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
US: 7 soldiers die in chopper crash in Iraq
US: 7 soldiers die in chopper crash in Iraq
Washington Post - United States
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
The Associated Press
Thursday, September 18, 2008; 12:25 AM
BAGHDAD -- An American Chinook helicopter crashed early Thursday as it was landing in southern Iraq, killing seven U.S. soldiers, the military said.
The CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra at the time of the crash, the U.S. statement said.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed to The Associated Press that the helicopter had crashed. He said five had died, and the bodies of two soldiers who had originally been missing were found.
The spokesman said hostile fire was not suspected.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
The chopper was a part of an aerial convoy flying from Kuwait to the U.S. military base at Balad just north of Baghdad. The Chinook, the Army's workhorse, is designed to transport troops and supplies to combat and other regions.
The statement said the incident was under investigation.
click above for more
Washington Post - United States
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
The Associated Press
Thursday, September 18, 2008; 12:25 AM
BAGHDAD -- An American Chinook helicopter crashed early Thursday as it was landing in southern Iraq, killing seven U.S. soldiers, the military said.
The CH-47 Chinook was landing after midnight about 60 miles west of Basra at the time of the crash, the U.S. statement said.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq confirmed to The Associated Press that the helicopter had crashed. He said five had died, and the bodies of two soldiers who had originally been missing were found.
The spokesman said hostile fire was not suspected.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to provide details.
The chopper was a part of an aerial convoy flying from Kuwait to the U.S. military base at Balad just north of Baghdad. The Chinook, the Army's workhorse, is designed to transport troops and supplies to combat and other regions.
The statement said the incident was under investigation.
click above for more
Chinook crash kills 5 soldiers in Iraq
Chinook crash kills 5 soldiers in Iraq
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 17, 2008 21:32:08 EDT
A helicopter crash in southern Iraq claimed the lives of five soldiers, the Army announced in a news release late Wednesday.
The crash marked the first time in a year that a helicopter crash in Iraq claimed U.S. lives, and only the third time in Iraq that a Chinook has had a fatal incident.
According to the Multi-National Corps Iraq release, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a hard landing around 12:01 a.m. Thursday about 65 miles west of Basra.
The heavy lift helicopter was part of an “aerial convoy” that was flying from Kuwait to Balad, about 45 miles north of Baghdad, when it made the landing.
A quick reaction force was dispatched from Basra and a road convoy in the area was diverted to the scene, the release said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_chinook_iraq_091708/
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 17, 2008 21:32:08 EDT
A helicopter crash in southern Iraq claimed the lives of five soldiers, the Army announced in a news release late Wednesday.
The crash marked the first time in a year that a helicopter crash in Iraq claimed U.S. lives, and only the third time in Iraq that a Chinook has had a fatal incident.
According to the Multi-National Corps Iraq release, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a hard landing around 12:01 a.m. Thursday about 65 miles west of Basra.
The heavy lift helicopter was part of an “aerial convoy” that was flying from Kuwait to Balad, about 45 miles north of Baghdad, when it made the landing.
A quick reaction force was dispatched from Basra and a road convoy in the area was diverted to the scene, the release said.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_chinook_iraq_091708/
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Eight tours of duty, substituting for someone else, Chuch Isaacson's life changed
Soldier, wife seek return to normal life a year after devastating crash
Jason Smathers — 8/17/2008 2:57 pm
SUN PRAIRIE -- For Chuck Isaacson, each day gets a little closer to normal.
To demonstrate, he bends forward in his wheelchair, his upper body coming to rest at a 45-degree angle, as he slowly rights himself.
"If I had tried that before, I would have just fallen to the floor," he said.
Isaacson and his wife, Brenda, realize he has a long way to go. They also know he has come a long way already. Especially considering how close he came to death.
On Feb. 18, 2007, Brenda was waiting for a phone call from Chuck, a National Guard staff seargent stationed in Afghanistan. It was part of Chuck's daily routine to call his wife, but this day was special -- it was the couple's second wedding anniversary.
But when the phone rang, it wasn't the call Brenda expected. Instead of her husband on the other end of the line, it was the Army, giving her the jarring news that Chuck had been involved in a serious accident.
Chuck Isaacson, 28, enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard as a wheel mechanic in February 1997, just months before graduating from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School. After five years of Guard service, Isaacson enlisted in the Army in September 2002. He was assigned to a unit in Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was re-classed as helicopter repair specialist.
His unit served seven tours of duty in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq. Isaacson served as a back-ender in most of these flights, where he performed checks and inspections on the plane while in flight.
"When you're flying in a combat zone, there's always inherent risk in that," Isaacson said. "Anything's possible."
Yet during his eight tours of duty, he had never been in any crashes, nor any life-threatening situations.
But when Isaacson finally found himself in trouble, it couldn't have happened at a worse time. In addition to it being his anniversary, the accident came five days before he was scheduled to return home, to a house he and Brenda had just bought three months earlier.
And it came on a day when he wasn't even scheduled to fly.
After substituting for another member of his crew, Isaacson and 21 others took off from a base in southern Afghanistan in a Chinook helicopter. The crew had been cleared for takeoff, and had no warning of unfavorable weather conditions ahead. Soon, the Chinook was in the middle of a snowstorm.
"I've spent close to 700 hours flying around in Afghanistan and Iraq and this was probably the worst storm I've ever encountered," Isaacson recalled in an interview at his apartment on Friday.
When the helicopter started taking on ice, it lowered its altitude. One of the aircraft's engines unexpectedly shut off and the helicopter plummeted to the ground, crashing only 50 yards away from the Kabul-Khandahar highway.
"I remember falling from the sky. I don't remember the crash and I remember lying out there for three hours," Isaacson said. "After that, I don't remember anything for about four days."
The crash claimed the lives of eight members of the crew, and injured the other 14. It took three hours for medical help to arrive.
go here for more
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/301031
Jason Smathers — 8/17/2008 2:57 pm
SUN PRAIRIE -- For Chuck Isaacson, each day gets a little closer to normal.
To demonstrate, he bends forward in his wheelchair, his upper body coming to rest at a 45-degree angle, as he slowly rights himself.
"If I had tried that before, I would have just fallen to the floor," he said.
Isaacson and his wife, Brenda, realize he has a long way to go. They also know he has come a long way already. Especially considering how close he came to death.
On Feb. 18, 2007, Brenda was waiting for a phone call from Chuck, a National Guard staff seargent stationed in Afghanistan. It was part of Chuck's daily routine to call his wife, but this day was special -- it was the couple's second wedding anniversary.
But when the phone rang, it wasn't the call Brenda expected. Instead of her husband on the other end of the line, it was the Army, giving her the jarring news that Chuck had been involved in a serious accident.
Chuck Isaacson, 28, enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard as a wheel mechanic in February 1997, just months before graduating from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School. After five years of Guard service, Isaacson enlisted in the Army in September 2002. He was assigned to a unit in Fort Campbell, Ky., where he was re-classed as helicopter repair specialist.
His unit served seven tours of duty in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq. Isaacson served as a back-ender in most of these flights, where he performed checks and inspections on the plane while in flight.
"When you're flying in a combat zone, there's always inherent risk in that," Isaacson said. "Anything's possible."
Yet during his eight tours of duty, he had never been in any crashes, nor any life-threatening situations.
But when Isaacson finally found himself in trouble, it couldn't have happened at a worse time. In addition to it being his anniversary, the accident came five days before he was scheduled to return home, to a house he and Brenda had just bought three months earlier.
And it came on a day when he wasn't even scheduled to fly.
After substituting for another member of his crew, Isaacson and 21 others took off from a base in southern Afghanistan in a Chinook helicopter. The crew had been cleared for takeoff, and had no warning of unfavorable weather conditions ahead. Soon, the Chinook was in the middle of a snowstorm.
"I've spent close to 700 hours flying around in Afghanistan and Iraq and this was probably the worst storm I've ever encountered," Isaacson recalled in an interview at his apartment on Friday.
When the helicopter started taking on ice, it lowered its altitude. One of the aircraft's engines unexpectedly shut off and the helicopter plummeted to the ground, crashing only 50 yards away from the Kabul-Khandahar highway.
"I remember falling from the sky. I don't remember the crash and I remember lying out there for three hours," Isaacson said. "After that, I don't remember anything for about four days."
The crash claimed the lives of eight members of the crew, and injured the other 14. It took three hours for medical help to arrive.
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