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Words cannot descibe how happy I feel right now

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by three_bags_full, Jan 19, 2012.

  1. Greenhorn

    Greenhorn Active Member

    Great story 3bf, thank you for sharing.
     
  2. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    Fucking A, TBF. Nice job.
     
  3. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    amazing

    great work
     
  4. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    I've read several stories on Gould's Silver Star ceremony, and I remember things just a little differently. Of course, I'd likely remember things a little differently, too, if I had shrapnel in my neck.

    In a couple of stories, he mentions that we landed and then immediately took off again, after rockets were fired and we were told to leave.

    We didn't land the first time and I don't remember an RPG (although, we wouldn't have heard it if it missed us and didn't detonate). As we were coming in, we were flying pretty agressively. Very low, very fast and making lots of turns. I was flying with one of the best pilots in our company, a guy who just recently got out. We spotted the smoke marking the LZ and began to decelerate and come into the LZ when we heard fire from the right side. My crew chief called it out, and we banked hard left and then took fire from the left side. The medic called it out and we banked hard right.

    We would've still landed, but we didn't physically see any Marines or any presence of security on the LZ. A few bullets normally wouldn't deter us from the LZ, but we didn't think the LZ was at all secure at that point.

    So, we peeled off and went back across the Helmand River (just a couple of miles) and hung out over the Registan Desert while the guys on the ground and our Cobra escort cleaned up the LZ.

    We finally got the OK from the Cobras to come back in. One of my most vivid memories from the entire scenario was a line the other pilot said on the way back to the LZ.

    The radios were going crazy. Ground guys yelling, other helicopters talking, my higher headquarters talking to us. In the middle of all this, and keep in mind I as a very young pilot at the time and this is my first time in a situation like this, my other pilot looks at me and kind-of points his finger at me like a pistol and says, "You got all the radios." When I realized that one of the best aviators in my battalion wanted to focus ENTIRELY on flying, rather than helping with the radios, that's when the gravity of the situation set in.

    We landed in the LZ with no problem and picked up Gould. Several stories mention that he passed out and woke up in the helicopter. That is NOT correct. I clearly remember him WALKING to the helicopter.

    Goddamn most amazing thing I've ever seen.
     
  5. Biscayne

    Biscayne Guest

    Wow. Incredible stories.
     
  6. Tommy_Dreamer

    Tommy_Dreamer Well-Known Member

    This cannot be repeated enough.
     
  7. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/community/2012/04/12/immigrant-army-sgt-gets-2nd-highest-military-honor/


    This makes my heart swell. A 101st Soldier that I evacuated receives the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest honor.

    We got the call pretty much in the middle of the night. When I got to the helicopter, my shirt wasn't zipped and my boots were untied.

    I was undergoing some "pilot in command" training and was flying with one of our most senior aviators. I was "in charge," if you will. Making all the decisions until I fucked up, then he would correct me and move on.

    Normally, we'd recognize the grid coordinates we recieved on the nine-line MEDEVAC request. We'd be able to tell by looking at the numbers wheich FOB it was because we went to the same FOBs all the time. But on this one, we didn't recognize it.

    Sanjaray was a little FOB I'd flown over a hundred times because it was right on Highway 1 and on the main corridor between Kandahar and a FOB where this Soldier's brigade was headquartered.

    I was pulling duty about 10 miles west of the FOB where this incident occured. And when we got the call, we didn't realize exactly where it was. So, as we're flying, we fly right over it and don't see a damned thing. Then, on the second pass, all hell breaks loose and I'm seeing bullets flying everywhere. It looked like a Hollywood movie scene.

    We were pushed out farther away from the FOB while the attack guys helped clean up the situation. About five minutes later, they called us in. Just as we were about to land, my door popped open. Startled, I execute a "go around," which means we came back around to try it again.

    The second time was a charm and we got the patient out of there pretty quickly.
     
  8. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Roll Tide.... (I must shower now...)
     
  9. WolvEagle

    WolvEagle Well-Known Member

    What he said. And he said before that. And he said before that.

    Take a bow, TBF. You deserve it.
     
  10. Tommy_Dreamer

    Tommy_Dreamer Well-Known Member

    TBF, did the soldier ever respond to you?

    And on this being Memorial Day weekend, thanks again for your service.
     
  11. Sam Mills 51

    Sam Mills 51 Well-Known Member

    Therefore ... thanks for everything you and all others in uniform do for this country, TBF.

    (Kellen Winslow Jr., take note. THESE are soldiers ... )
     
  12. JosephC.Myers

    JosephC.Myers Active Member

    Sorry I'm late to the show on this one, TBF, but just a great job on your part all the way around. Thank you for your service to our country.
     
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