SWJED
05-29-2006, 07:33 AM
29 May Washington Post - Helicopter Force Takes Measure Of Two Wars (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/28/AR2006052800887.html) by Pamela Constable.
Military helicopter crews over Afghanistan and Iraq know better than most what the wars in those countries have in common: There's more below than meets the eye. They also have an unmatched view of what makes the conflicts different.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew in Afghanistan skims along above the desert as the crew watches for signs of the enemy below. For miles, the land is empty. Then someone spots a mud compound with a dozen men around it but not a single sheep or goat in sight. Is it a farm or an insurgent hideout?
In Iraq, the field of battle is often a densely packed neighborhood, where a crew on a sweep might see nothing but rooftops and alleyways. But then, out of nowhere, "someone can shoot at you from any direction, blend in and be gone," said Sgt. Rodney Kitchen, 27, a crew chief from Baltimore. "Here, there are few people in the open desert. They're not going to take potshots at you because they know four choppers will be chasing them."...
Military helicopter crews over Afghanistan and Iraq know better than most what the wars in those countries have in common: There's more below than meets the eye. They also have an unmatched view of what makes the conflicts different.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew in Afghanistan skims along above the desert as the crew watches for signs of the enemy below. For miles, the land is empty. Then someone spots a mud compound with a dozen men around it but not a single sheep or goat in sight. Is it a farm or an insurgent hideout?
In Iraq, the field of battle is often a densely packed neighborhood, where a crew on a sweep might see nothing but rooftops and alleyways. But then, out of nowhere, "someone can shoot at you from any direction, blend in and be gone," said Sgt. Rodney Kitchen, 27, a crew chief from Baltimore. "Here, there are few people in the open desert. They're not going to take potshots at you because they know four choppers will be chasing them."...