Minor Injuries Suffered, Wreckage Destroyed By US Forces

The crew of an OH-58 Kiowa attack helicopter was rescued after being shot down by insurgent ground fire south of Baghdad Monday.

The two pilots were rescued by an AH-64 Apache crew. The two Kiowa pilots were identified by a US military command in Baghdad as belonging to Task Force Marne, according to the US Department of Defense.

"An Air Force Thunderbolt II destroyed the downed helicopter with two 500-pound laser-guided bombs after the pilots were evacuated from the area," the DoD said. "The OH-58 pilots suffered minor injuries."

The US military will often destroy such damaged military equipment to prevent insurgents from using parts or munitions to gather intelligence or mount attacks, according to the Stars and Stripes.

"We're taking fire!" Chief Warrant Officer 2 Steven Cianfrini, 27, yelled when he saw the tracer rounds during the reconnaissance mission to flush out Sunni insurgents, according to the Washington Post.

Pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mark Burrows, 35, tried to avoid the ever-increasing barrage of insurgent bullets.

"The whole world just opened up on us, it seemed like," Cianfrini said. "We zigzagged, whatever we could do, to get out of the guns' target line. Then we started taking rounds from behind. That... took the aircraft down."

The two pilots sought cover in nearby canal, only to face the possibility of drowning as their heavy armor and thick mud threatened to overtake them. Then, insurgents descended upon them.

"We couldn't move," Cianfrini said. "I was thinking, 'This is it.'"

Burrows said his attackers were so close he saw one wearing a brown T-shirt and carrying an AK-47.

"He just didn't see us. I don't know how," said Burrows, back-to-back with Cianfrini. "I was just praying that they didn't see us."

Then came the welcome sound of a couple of Apaches from the 1st Cavalry Division who effectively pushed the insurgents back with a 30mm Gatling gun. While one kept cover, the other sat down to retrieve the downed Kiowa pilots.

But, an Apache only has two seats. No problem -- one of the Apache pilots, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Micah Johnson strapped himself to one side the helo's exterior while Burrows did the same on the other side, allowing Cianfrini to use the available interior seat.

Burrows said he didn't mind the 120 mph winds he endured during the trip out.

"I was in pretty high spirits knowing I was going home," he said

Military helicopters in Iraq are attacked about 100 times each month. Using heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and shoulder-fired missiles, about 17 are hit. 

This year, 10 US military and private contractor helos have been lost to such fire, according to the Post.

FMI: www.army.mil