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Pavehawk down in Afghanistan

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OverTQ Flight Lead

OverTQ

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NATO: 4 Troops Killed in Afghan Copter Crash

Published June 21, 2010

| Associated Press

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KABUL, Afghanistan -- A military helicopter crashed during an early morning operation in southern Afghanistan on Monday, killing three Australian commandoes and an American service member, officials said.

Two other international troops were killed Sunday in separate bombings in the south, NATO announced without specifying nationalities. One of them was an American, according to a U.S. spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks.

The Taliban claimed they had shot down the helicopter, but NATO said there were no indications of enemy involvement.

The Australian government said three of the dead were Australians, and U.S. Lt. Col. Joseph T. Breasseale said the fourth service member killed was American.

Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said seven other Australian soldiers were wounded, two of them badly.

"This is a tragic day for Australia, and for the Australian defense force," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement to Parliament. "We know our mission in Afghanistan is hard, but this mission is critical for our common security."

There were 15 people aboard the helicopter, 10 of them Australians, according to Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner.

Australia has some 1,500 troops in Afghanistan, most of them in Uruzgan province. Monday's deaths take Australia's military death toll in Afghanistan to 16.

The crash comes in a particularly deadly month for NATO forces. With the most recent deaths, at least 59 international troops, including 36 Americans, have died so far in June. That puts June among the deadliest months for international forces in the nearly nine-year war. The deadliest month so far for the military alliance was July 2009 when 75 troops, including 44 Americans, were killed.

The rising death toll underscores the precarious situation for Afghanistan's international allies as violence has ramped up this summer.

The United Nations plans to pull some of its approximately 1,000 foreign staffers from the country in the next three months, according to a U.N. report issued last week. The world body has been facing recruitment and housing problems since it tightened security for staffers in the wake of an attack on a residential hotel in Kabul in October where U.N. election staffers were staying. Five U.N. employees died in the attack.

The goal, according to the report, is to reduce the number of U.N. staff in Afghanistan as much as possible without compromising the effectiveness of the mission.

Dan McNorton, a U.N. spokesman in Afghanistan, said that only support staff would be relocated. He would not give a figure on how many people will be moved, saying only that it was "a few" or "a small number."

The helicopter crashed before dawn in southern Kandahar province, and the operation it had been part of was still ongoing, Houston said.

Other coalition helicopters that were part of the same push landed near the downed aircraft and airlifted out the wounded, he said. More details on the operation were not given.

Afghan officials in Kandahar said the crash occurred in the Shah Wali Kot in the north part of the province, scene of heavy fighting last week involving Australian special forces. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release information to media.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi told news organizations that insurgents shot the helicopter down with a rocket, a claim disputed by NATO and Australian officials.

A businessman in Shah Wali Kot, Zaheerullah Khan, told The Associated Press that there had been heavy fighting in the area for the last three days.

"Most of the roads are closed and they carry out operations at night," he said. "Every night you can hear the fighting."

NATO has launched a major operation to secure the biggest southern city, Kandahar, capital of the province where the Taliban were first organized in the 1990s.

Elsewhere, a spokesman for the Wardak provincial police, Wakil Sherzai, said the Taliban beheaded the acting chief of the province's district of Sayyed Abad. Gunmen seized the man at his home four days ago and his body was found Monday.

Two Afghan policemen were killed and two were wounded Monday by a roadside bomb in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province, the Interior Ministry said.

Also Monday, the anti-graft commission reported that President Hamid Karzai earns 24,000 Afghanis per month, or about $527, a month. He has about $18,500 in a German bank but owns no land. His wife has jewelry worth more than $10,000.

The High Office for Oversight and the Anti-Corruption Commission plan to release financial disclosure information on at least 2,000 top officials as part of an effort to combat corruption in the country.

Mohammad Yasin Osmani, head of the commission, said Karzai's financial information was released first and those of other figures would be announced later.

That is two.

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GSXR6Racer Crew Dawg

GSXR6Racer

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As I have stated earlier in this thread my bestfriend was the other pilot with Wizz that day. Well, he continues to fight his battle and heal alittle more each day. He has a long road ahead of him, but his amazingly strong wife and family are giving him the incredible strength to get better.

I still think about those guys everyday and since that day I wear a PEDRO 66 match as my own private memorial to them and the sacrafic that they made.

To those that passed and those that heal from PEDRO 66 :beer::beer::beer::flag_waving:

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stract Gray Beard

stract

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A year later, and the crew of PEDRO 66 weighs heavy in our hearts.

For those at DM, there will be a memorial dedication tomorrow, 9 Jun, at 0900L in front of the 48 RQS. For those at Nellis, there will be a memorial tomorrow, 9 Jun, and 0900L in front of the 66 RQS.

To Capt David Wizniewski, Staff Sgt. Michael P. Flores, 1Lt Joel Gentz, SSgt David Smith, and SrA Benjamin White, a toast: "These Things We Do...That Others May Live."

Thoughts and prayers to the copilot, Tony Simone, and the gunner, Christopher Aguilera as they continue to recover from their injuries.

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Ram Gray Beard

Ram

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We think about you every day, brothers. We'll never forget.

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Where can I get one of those bracelets? Does money raised go to any specific fund for the fallen?

I knew Joel from college, and a couple of my buddies are interested in wearing those bracelets.

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busdriver Gray Beard

busdriver

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Good a place as any, Tony (co-pilot) was medically retired last week. I was good to go right up to Aggie (Gunner) saying: "You're my pilot for life, and I'm your gunner" while presenting him with a chromed .50cal barrel display as a going away. The kicker was it was Aggie's gun from that day. I got some damn dirt in my eye or something after that, then Tony's father got up and spoke.... I was screwed ....

Best part, Tony got up and was cracking jokes during his speech. Dude has a great attitude and said he wouldn't do anything different even knowing the outcome. I'm not as strong as men like this......

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slackline Gray Beard

slackline

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I PCS'd into Nellis back in 2008, and one of my first flights was with Tony when he was still a pretty young co-pilot. I had him make all the radio calls for range entry and what not, and I had him do a majority of the flying. Afterwards he was talking to one of the other co's in the squadron, saying it was one of his best flights he'd ever had because typically, he said they only let him manage ELMO (common jacked up practice back then with young co-pilots). Made me feel good, and he always reminded me of it. The guy is one of the good dudes, and he was always happy with the simple things in life. Was seriously bummed to miss the retirement ceremony.

T.O.M.L.

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RescueRandy Crew Dawg

RescueRandy

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I was deployed with these guys in '09. Even flew in Tony's spot on their crew on my first combat mission. My crew launched from KAF upon notification of their crash. We took off before knowing that Pedro 67 had already ajaxed the crash site. Later that week I was a pal bearer for the ramp ceremony to load the remains of those lost on to the C-5 headed to the east coast.

The entire crew of Pedro 66 were/are outstanding men. I'm glad to hear both Tony and Aggie are doing so much better and would have loved to have been at the ceremony.

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