misskriss 0 #1 March 12, 2003 prayers to our fallen soldiers... FORT DRUM, N.Y. (March 11) - A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed Tuesday in a heavily wooded area of this sprawling Army post in upstate New York, military officials said. The Army said there were two survivors but did not immediately disclose the number of dead. Maj. Gen. Franklin Hagenbeck, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, refused to take questions at a news briefing but indicated there were fatalities. ``I would like to extend my condolences to the families of our fallen comrades and I want to assure you that we will fully investigate this terrible accident and do everything in our power to take care of all the families involved in this tragedy,'' he said. Investigators and search crews were expected to remain in the field through the night, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty said. He said none of the casualties were reservists. The helicopter, a widely used transport aircraft, crashed just north of Wheeler-Sack Airfield, Hilferty said. He said there was no indication of problems beforehand. ``The first call I got was that it was missing. It just disappeared,'' Hilferty said. He said he believed the aircraft was on a training mission with at least one other helicopter, perhaps two. Maj. Daniel Bohr at Fort Drum said the aircraft last made radio contact shortly before 2 p.m. Rescue crew located the crash site at about 3:30 p.m. Greg Burnelle, a Jefferson County emergency management official, said the helicopter went down between the tiny towns of Antwerp and Philadelphia. He said there were ``critical injured people.'' The National Weather Service reported winds of 22 mph with gusts up to 30 mph at Wheeler-Sack field around 2 p.m. Steve Burton, a pilot with the air taxi service Adirondack Helicopters Inc. in Remsen, 60 miles south of the post, said there was nothing troubling about Tuesday's weather. ``Visibility is good,'' he said. ``There's some wind but nothing we're not used to coping with this time of year.'' Fort Drum, near the eastern shore of Lake Ontario about 70 miles northeast of Syracuse, is home to the 10th Mountain Division and has been a major staging area for reserve units taking part in the buildup toward war with Iraq. Nearly 1,000 division soldiers and reservists have left from Fort Drum in recent weeks. ``My heart goes out to their loved ones,'' said Sgt. Paul Merritt, of Easton, Pa., as he stood pumping gas at a station off the post. ``A soldier realizes they are risking their life any time they put a uniform on. We train for combat. Combat is dangerous. Training is dangerous.'' Resident Hazel Seery said she was driving home from work Tuesday afternoon and saw two Army helicopters, presumably searching for the downed craft. ``I knew something was up with all the commotion outside,'' she said. The training mission had no connection with ongoing war exercises at the base, Hilferty said. Black Hawk UH-60 helicopters are equipped with advanced avionics and electronics, such as the global positioning systems. Last month, a Black Hawk crashed during night training in the Kuwaiti desert, killing all four crew members. The Kuwaiti military said sandstorms were reported in the area at the time the chopper went down. On Jan. 30, an MH-60, an adapted version of the Black Hawk, crashed during training near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, killing four members of an elite aviation regiment. 03/11/03 22:13 EST Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rebecca 0 #2 March 12, 2003 Two of my best friends are Black Hawk pilots- one has been 'over there' for almost two months and the other deployed last week. This kind of news brings a big lump to my throat... Speedy recovery to the injured, condolences to the families, and godspeed to the soldiers who didn't make it. you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jraf 0 #3 March 12, 2003 Shit happens. Planes, cars, helicopters crash. The fact that they were wearing ugly, unfashionable chap attire makes them no different from other hunans. Neither superheroes nor villans...just people with families and friends who they left behind...sad jraf Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui. Muff #3275 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misskriss 0 #4 March 12, 2003 didn't say it made them anymore special....i'm not going to do a search for every car accident out there and post about it. Anytime a skydiver dies there are always threads to explain what happened. In this time......the time right before war, I found it appropriate to post about. These soldiers risk their lives every day and have a greater chance of being hurt and killed than you and I simply by their line of work. If you want to discuss this further, call me.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #5 March 12, 2003 No need to explain yourself MissKriss. Some people here are so totally anti-war they just dismiss everything there and decide that they had it coming. Whatever. I just dismiss what they say to the condition known as "bug up the ass". Thanks for posting this. Condolences and thoughts go out to the families. http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canuck278 0 #6 March 12, 2003 Sorry to read that, I've been over here in the mid east since Sept. We just had a helo of ours crash on a ship not to long ago....everybody thankfully made it without serious injury. I've flown in Blackhawks before, i'd be curious to hear what happened. "life is tough, wear a helmet" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #7 March 12, 2003 QuoteSorry to read that, I've been over here in the mid east since Sept. We just had a helo of ours crash on a ship not to long ago....everybody thankfully made it without serious injury. I've flown in Blackhawks before, i'd be curious to hear what happened. "life is tough, wear a helmet" Here is a news article for ya: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/12/nyregion/12COPT.html?ex=1048136400&en=822672a6a189b378&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE It doesn't say exactly what happened since they are just starting to investigate.http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kevin922 0 #8 March 12, 2003 Quote Shit happens. Planes, cars, helicopters crash. The fact that they were wearing ugly, unfashionable chap attire makes them no different from other hunans. Neither superheroes nor villans...just people with families and friends who they left behind...sad Hey I thought you weren't posting in war threads. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #9 March 12, 2003 QuoteNo need to explain yourself MissKriss. Some people here are so totally anti-war they just dismiss everything there and decide that they had it coming. Whatever. I just dismiss what they say to the condition known as "bug up the ass". Thanks for posting this. Condolences and thoughts go out to the families. Yep don't explain.. He has never been a soldier so he won't ever understand how important they are.. We need toilet paper engineers.. Rhino Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyhi 24 #10 March 12, 2003 If you've ever been in a unit which has lost an aircraft, you can understand the impact. It's not just people with whom you work, it's family. I'm in a small service and every fatality hits home. Condolences to all during a difficult period. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misskriss 0 #11 March 12, 2003 Quoteit's family I've been to way too many memorial services in the aviation community. It hits home hard.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luv2Fall 0 #12 March 12, 2003 My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these fallen soldiers.........it hits home hard. Staff Sergeant U.S. Army Retired Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyingferret 0 #13 March 12, 2003 I went and listened to "Mogadisho Blues" from the Black Hawk Down soundtrack for these soldiers that gave their lives training to protect me. Thanks and Blue Skies!-- All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,588 #14 March 12, 2003 My condolences for these people and their families. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #15 March 12, 2003 Quote Hey I thought you weren't posting in war threads. LOL. No kidding. http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kmcguffee 0 #16 March 12, 2003 QuoteShit happens. Planes, cars, helicopters crash. The fact that they were wearing ugly, unfashionable chap attire makes them no different from other hunans. Neither superheroes nor villans...just people with families and friends who they left behind...sad jraf Not really necessary comments to a post about young kids dying, whatever your political views. My condolences to the families. "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Ben Franklin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mouth 0 #17 March 12, 2003 Kristen, It does hit close to home. Anytime we loose soldiers who are risking their lives protecting our country and it's people (even those people who vow to hate everything the military stands for)it is hard. Thank you for sharing this with us. My condolences to the families and friends. Blue skies forever, Lisa -- Hot Mama At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinker 0 #18 March 12, 2003 Like the others, many many thanks for posting this. It is very good for us to keep things like this in our consciousness, whatever our political views. These people were serving our country, SERVING US, when they lost their lives. Makes me tear up. God bless them and their families. I'm eternally grateful to folks like them. -michael -the artist formerly known as sinker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jraf 0 #19 March 12, 2003 Oh, so there is a war going on in upstate New York? Shit, have to call my paretns in Pittsburgh and tell them about it. Kevin, thanks for filling me in jraf Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui. Muff #3275 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #20 March 12, 2003 You have parents? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #21 March 12, 2003 Blackhawks are pretty reliable, but even under the best of conditions, helicopters are difficult and dangerous to fly. A real shame."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinker 0 #22 March 12, 2003 bwahahahahahaha!!!!!! lmao at that one... -the artist formerly known as sinker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #23 March 12, 2003 Quote Oh, so there is a war going on in upstate New York? Shit, have to call my paretns in Pittsburgh and tell them about it. Kevin, thanks for filling me in I gotta get me some of these "paretns". What are those ? http://www.brandonandlaura.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jraf 0 #24 March 12, 2003 QuoteLike the others, many many thanks for posting this. It is very good for us to keep things like this in our consciousness, whatever our political views. These people were serving our country, SERVING US, when they lost their lives. Makes me tear up. God bless them and their families. I'm eternally grateful to folks like them. -michael I do appreciate how in the same thread you fine gentlemen are pompous as a III Reich State Funeral and joyfull as teenagers during lunch brake. Who are you doing a disservice? I does amuse me though.jraf Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui. Muff #3275 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinker 0 #25 March 12, 2003 ??? what are you babbling about??? are you referring to me laughing at the questing asking if you actually have parents?? Maybe not the right thread in which to laugh, but it was indeed funny. B/c you often act as if you had no parents. (Is this a flame? Do forgive, oh exhaulted Jraf). Bottom line is that most of us respect those who serve their country and mourn when some of those loose their lives doing so. You show little of that respect. And most who read your posts realize this. -the artist formerly known as sinker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
