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Old Military Photos from Hunttalkers

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Winter in Iraq can actually be pretty cold. I think this was taken around Christmas 2006 in Zambraniyah, Iraq. I was a 19D and spent most of my time with 6/8 Cav 3rd ID. We did a couple of those 15 month long deployments. Made some great friends and a couple of us still get together and hunt every year. FB_IMG_1572585603496.jpg
 
Winter in Iraq can actually be pretty cold. I think this was taken around Christmas 2006 in Zambraniyah, Iraq. I was a 19D and spent most of my time with 6/8 Cav 3rd ID. We did a couple of those 15 month long deployments. Made some great friends and a couple of us still get together and hunt every year. View attachment 118504
I was running CLP missions Anaconda to Spiker and back every night around that time frame with 1-167 CAV (Nebraska National Guard).
 
And they were all just little more than boys.

Yes Sir, he and his boys were all in the neighborhood of 18-20 years old.

Here's some background on the story:
New Year’s Eve 1943: “Nobody’s Darlin” TU-K was out of gas. According to the 351st Combat Diary; "After a raid on the Cognac Aerodrome in France, this aircraft crash landed on the beach at Burnham on Sea with battle damage." 19 year-old 1st Lt. Frank Needham swam and waded to shore in freezing water to get help and assisted crew members to escape their B-17 before high tide could drown them. With characteristic understatement he said; "nobody got hurt". It was for this personal heroism and completing 30 combat missions he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with three Oak Leaves (added later). Although he walked away from the crash Frank sustained two crushed vertabrae which didn’t show up until nearly twenty years after the war. The aircraft was later salvaged in Jan. 1944. Tragically, Major John R. Blaylock was killed in the same raid. Lt. Frank Needham completed 30 missions in Aug. 1944 having commenced his tour of duty May 8th 1943. In Sept. 1944 he finally went home on a well-deserved leave. Later he served with the Strategic Air Command in Greenland, at Dow AFB, and Fairchild AFB. He retired after 20 years of active duty.
 
Contracted Russian helo? Duct tape on the main rotor?

Good call. Definitely a Russian Helo, MI-17 HIP, not being operated by a contractor though....

It was one of the sketchier experiences I have had in the air. Made that much sketchier by what we were wearing and where we were going....
 
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