WTEN May 10, 2006
Ft. Drum Soldiers Killed in Helicopter Crash
The bodies of ten soldiers killed in Afghanistan have been recovered; all are from the 10th Mountain Division in Fort Drum.
The soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Friday, but the identities of those serving have not been revealed. Of the roughly 18-thousand Americans serving in Afghanistan, half are from the 10th Mountain Division.
There was no sign of enemy fire when the Army Chinook helicopter went down. It was part of Operation Mountain Lion, a month long offensive against Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in the remote mountains near the Pakistan border.
The crash is the deadliest for US forces in Afghanistan in a year.
While not identifying any of the soldiers, the commander of the division says, "our hearts and prayers go out to the families and comrades of the soldiers."
The Chinook helicopter can carry 13 tons of gear or as many as 33 troops.
"It's absolutely essential to supporting the Army's mission in Afghanistan," said John Pike, who represents GlobalSecurity.org, speaking about the importance of the helicopters. "(There) really wouldn't be any other way of getting those supplies out to all those soldiers."
At Fort Drum, officials are keeping tight-lipped, but they all remember. They remember three years ago, in March 2003, a Blackhawk helicopter crashed on post in Watertown during training, killing 11 soldiers.
But this is a big transport helicopter moving troops and supplies. In the four years of the war, at least 36 Americans have been killed in Chinooks.
"And it's the tough operating environment, the high altitude, (and) the hot weather that has contributed to the accidents, not the age of the helicopter," says Pike.
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