Attack Marine Patrol Base

Tiddies

life in the slow lane
Joined
Dec 16, 2009
Posts
335
Reaction score
0
Location
Howell, MI
nothing but respect for the 03 field, and im happy to support them with my job.

how do you download a youtube video?
 

VTXFrank

Obama SUCKS!
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Posts
8,217
Reaction score
72
Location
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Thanks frank. Crazy shit man. How did they shoot down the helicopters? All I know it they aren't easy to shoot down using a rpg in call of duty lol.

No shit, you would think they would install a bunch of IR flares like the did in battlefield 3 to every helicopter. US army needs to get with it and play more video games for ideas.

The first one was brought down by AK47 fire directed at the tail rotor.

The second was brought down by a SAM. We had the ALQ-144 installed and flare/chaff dispensers installed, but no detection systems. So you had to rely on visual sightings to know when to pop chaff or flares. The ALQ-144's malfunction frequently or, just don't work on newer missiles.

All of the protection systems in the world are damned near useless when flying 500' off the ground at 130kts. With the newer type of SAM that brought down our MedEvac bird, lock time to impact time from 3 miles away is so fast, the systems, even if fully automated, don't get enough time to really saturate the incoming path with flares or chaff. Even if the missile detonates 100' away, it's very likely the shrapnel produced will damage a helicopter enough to bring it down.

In our case, from lock to impact was so short, the missile actually went through one side of the passenger compartment, bored a hole completely through the fully loaded patient carousel and detonated inside the aircraft. It hit the inside structural member just to the upper right side of the crew chiefs seat known as the upper strut mount hard point. This gives me some solace when thinking of my buddy Chris. At least he didn't suffer or have to experience the crash sequence. Anyone not immediately killed by the detonation, and almost assuredly, every one was due to the concussive forces of the detonation, were killed when the aircraft impacted the ground and blew up.

The third helicopter was responding to a very hot LZ. As it was about to land, it took a lot of rounds through the tail boom, severing the #1 hydraulic pump feed to the tail rotor. As Soldiers were approaching the helicopter, the pilot called out they were taking fire after landing and that they had a Master Caution light illuminated for one of the hydraulic systems. Being the #1 side, the backup pump was only giving them a couple more minutes of control as it too was bleeding out its fluid. Just as the pilots called that they were going to have to shut down the aircraft, an over zealous tank driver tried to maneuver his tank in between the aircraft and the incoming fire. He drove right into the front, left side of the rotor disk and given the terrain, it was low. It took the tank drivers head off and the tank went on, driver-less, to hit the mid-section of our Blackhawk. This immediately killed the tail rotor effectiveness and the aircraft flipped on its side and clawed its way down a steep embankment, rolling several times.

Helicopters are extremely dangerous to fly. One little thing can bring it down. Hence the tremendous amount of training you go through to be able to be a pilot/crew member on one. It takes balls of lead to do the job in combat knowing all the different ways you can get your ass killed.
 

SteveP

Modular Specialist
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Posts
4,141
Reaction score
17
Location
Boynton Beach, FL
^^ sounds a lot like what happened to my unit in Fallujah back in 04.


Just to let people know. When a MEDEVAC is called in a hot LZ, you can only give the up most respect to those guys. Their is so much more involved then just landing and getting the wounded out. Your sacrificing yourself, your crew and the bird to save a fellow Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airmen. Even if its just 1 person. When your in the scenario, 1 wounded so to damn much

Why I can't show enough respect to the medic field of the military. When I got hit by the 2 1.55m shells with a anti tank mind, after the explosion, my medic without thinking, ran as quick as he could. Regarding all the other things going on. he did it to make sure me and my driver were ok.
 
Last edited:

VTXFrank

Obama SUCKS!
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Posts
8,217
Reaction score
72
Location
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
^^ sounds a lot like what happened to my unit in Fallujah back in 04.


Just to let people know. When a MEDEVAC is called in a hot LZ, you can only give the up most respect to those guys. Their is so much more involved then just landing and getting the wounded out. Your sacrificing yourself, your crew and the bird to save a fellow Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airmen. Even if its just 1 person. When your in the scenario, 1 wounded so to damn much

Why I can't show enough respect to the medic field of the military. When I got hit by the 2 1.55m shells with a anti tank mind, after the explosion, my medic without thinking, ran as quick as he could. Regarding all the other things going on. he did it to make sure me and my driver were ok.

It was shot down just South of Fallujah brother. A lot more people than just our crew were killed in that one.
 

SteveP

Modular Specialist
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Posts
4,141
Reaction score
17
Location
Boynton Beach, FL
And it breaks my heart knowing this. Even not knowing them, they are my brothers in arms ya know.

Sad that I knew it was something to do with the Fallujah area. That area will forever scar me for the rest of my life
 

BigRed06GT

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Posts
140
Reaction score
0
Just writing to say thank you to all that served and are currently still serving...as a civilian I want to rip peoples heads off when they put down our own troops so I can imagine how you guys must feel when you hear that...I just tell them that if they don't stand behind our troops in a time like this, they can feel free to stand in front of them. again thanks for your service
 

SteveP

Modular Specialist
Joined
Dec 3, 2007
Posts
4,141
Reaction score
17
Location
Boynton Beach, FL
Just writing to say thank you to all that served and are currently still serving...as a civilian I want to rip peoples heads off when they put down our own troops so I can imagine how you guys must feel when you hear that...I just tell them that if they don't stand behind our troops in a time like this, they can feel free to stand in front of them. again thanks for your service


thanks man. The best response to give those people is that they are welcome to be able to say as they please. And most people hate what they don't understand. And unless they have been over there, they will never really understand
 

whtcanbrwnd04u

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Posts
1,992
Reaction score
4
Location
San Marcos,TX
Regarding my reference to a video game earlier, i did not mean any disrespect. My question about how the helicopters being shot down was a serious one. I didn't know AKs could take down our helicopters. Thats some scary shit.
 

HellsBells

620/677
Joined
Sep 30, 2010
Posts
5,576
Reaction score
9
Location
SoCal
Regarding my reference to a video game earlier, i did not mean any disrespect. My question about how the helicopters being shot down was a serious one. I didn't know AKs could take down our helicopters. Thats some scary shit.

You should try shooting one. Bullets can do a lot more damage than most video games, movies, people think.
 

VTXFrank

Obama SUCKS!
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Posts
8,217
Reaction score
72
Location
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Regarding my reference to a video game earlier, i did not mean any disrespect. My question about how the helicopters being shot down was a serious one. I didn't know AKs could take down our helicopters. Thats some scary shit.

When the tail rotor on ANY helicopter fails/stops working, that helicopter is GOING to land. The lower and faster you are, the better. If you're 100' over the Tigris river doing 50kts, you're properly fucked.
 

Support us!

Support Us - Become A Supporting Member Today!

Click Here For Details

Back
Top