Three American Choppers Down In 10 Days, Today's Crash Kills Two...

[Quixote1818]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. military helicopter crashed north of the Iraqi capital Monday — the third American chopper to go down in 10 days — killing the two crew members. A resident said he saw the smoke trail of a missile before the aircraft plunged to the ground.

The military said the AH-64 Apache was conducting a combat air patrol when it went down in an area "known for terrorist activity." Officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, and the names of the dead soldiers were not released. Apaches hold only a pilot and a co-pilot.

Video footage shot by AP Television News in Mishahda, north of Baghdad, showed smoke billowing from what was reported to be the crash site. Helicopters circled nearby.

Two militant groups claimed they shot down the helicopter. Neither claim could be verified.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_helicopter_down;_ylt=AnS4.9CpSA4GDJnSi3mX6pes0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[B Calm]

1. Remember how Papa Bush sent troops into Somalia 1 month before

President Clinton took office, leaving the mess for the next administration? Remember the right-wing screams about a Black Hawk that went down?

[catnhatnh]

2. An AH-64 is one of our better combat birds....

a two man ship capable of raining untold hell on anyone revealed as the enemy...I guess they merely LOOKED like iraqis till they fired on them....

[jmowreader]

3. The OIA has learned to shoot down Apaches?

OIA = Old Iraqi Army. "Insurgents" don't have a headquarters staff like the people we're fighting have.

Apaches are heavily armored. It's hard to shoot one down. To think that the OIA can do it...oh man, the only place our guys appear to be safe over there is on a C-17...flying westward, away from the killing fields.