Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire A blast from the past

Found some old pics. One of my best friends and hunting buddy was flying this aircraft on our 3rd deployment to Iraq, landed on an anti-tank mine. The medic was hanging out the left gunners window, caught shrapnel and got burned. He was the only injury. It blew the left landing gear about 400 meters from the aircraft, trashed all the blades and blew the windows out on the left side. The ballistic protection kit that were installed saved the rest of the crew from injury.

We were with the Marines out in Anbar, turned out they landed in a minefield. The Marines wanted to launch an F-18 and drop a 500 pounder on it. Our CO was not happy, we had lost an aircraft on that tour already and were still short a bird from a previous tour. The CH-53 squadron CO agreed to sling it out. Picture is of the bird after it was slung back to Al Asad and an inflight pic of the 53 getting ready to lift it.



Another bird from the previous tour, being slung out by a CH-47.


Some Blackhawks loaded in a C-5, headed to the sandbox.