Iraq - Jan 03 - Aug 03
freedom isnt free - may their sacrifice never be forgotten...
04/29/2003
Blackhawk Crews Say Goodbye to Fallen Friends
By TARA COPP - Scripps Howard News Service
BAGHDAD - Choking from grief, Army Specialist Joshua Wofford helped say a final goodbye today to his best friend, Sgt. Mike Pedersen, a 26-year-old native of Flint, Mich. who was one of six Army helicopter crewmen who died April 2, 2003 when their Blackhawk crashed over Baghdad.
Ten days later, in a cavernous hangar at Saddam International Airport, the crew's dog tags, their boots and helmets were lined before two Blackhawks for a formal farewell. Five companies and a battalion stood at attention while the perished crew's sister helicopter team spoke in broken words.
"Mike, what's up man? I heard the craziest thing the other day. Somebody told me you're not going to be here tomorrow. This isn't how we planned. It was just the other day we were talkin' about what it was going to be like when we got out of here. What they're telling me can't be true. Maybe I'll know it when I call you to go play ball at the gym, or go out and have a good time, and you don't answer the phone."
The perished crew, from the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division out of Savannah, Ga., died when their helicopter crashed while moving equipment needed to take out pockets of the Medina Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard.
"He was the best man at my wedding, and the only man that I not only approved of, but gave my blessing to while dating my little sister," Specialist Joseph Arteno said of his lost "brother," Specialist Mathew Boule, a 22-year-old native of Dracut, Mass, also killed in the crash. "He was always quizzing me, sharing his wealth of knowledge. My wife would sometimes get aggravated, asking if that was all we ever talked about.
"It's hard talking about what he used to do, because he was a person that I thought would be here a long time."
The somber ceremony was a marked contrast to the stream of war successes in recent days. Hundreds of Army personnel streamed past the crew's memorial, breaking down into sobs.
The crash also took the lives of Capt. James Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, Va., CW4 (Chief Warrant Officer) Erik Halvorsen, 40 of Bennington, Vt., CW3 Eric Smith, 41, and CW2 Scott Jamar, 32 of Granbury, Texas.
"What am I supposed to tell Destinee, your daughter?" Wofford cried aloud about Pedersen. "Who am I supposed to go to when I feel lost? You never prepared me for this. So, if I don't see you tomorrow or even the next day, I want you to know a person like you comes around only once in a lifetime.
"And that I love ya. We all love ya. So keep your head up, 'cause I'll see you when I get there."
04/29/2003
Blackhawk Crews Say Goodbye to Fallen Friends
By TARA COPP - Scripps Howard News Service
BAGHDAD - Choking from grief, Army Specialist Joshua Wofford helped say a final goodbye today to his best friend, Sgt. Mike Pedersen, a 26-year-old native of Flint, Mich. who was one of six Army helicopter crewmen who died April 2, 2003 when their Blackhawk crashed over Baghdad.
Ten days later, in a cavernous hangar at Saddam International Airport, the crew's dog tags, their boots and helmets were lined before two Blackhawks for a formal farewell. Five companies and a battalion stood at attention while the perished crew's sister helicopter team spoke in broken words.
"Mike, what's up man? I heard the craziest thing the other day. Somebody told me you're not going to be here tomorrow. This isn't how we planned. It was just the other day we were talkin' about what it was going to be like when we got out of here. What they're telling me can't be true. Maybe I'll know it when I call you to go play ball at the gym, or go out and have a good time, and you don't answer the phone."
The perished crew, from the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division out of Savannah, Ga., died when their helicopter crashed while moving equipment needed to take out pockets of the Medina Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard.
"He was the best man at my wedding, and the only man that I not only approved of, but gave my blessing to while dating my little sister," Specialist Joseph Arteno said of his lost "brother," Specialist Mathew Boule, a 22-year-old native of Dracut, Mass, also killed in the crash. "He was always quizzing me, sharing his wealth of knowledge. My wife would sometimes get aggravated, asking if that was all we ever talked about.
"It's hard talking about what he used to do, because he was a person that I thought would be here a long time."
The somber ceremony was a marked contrast to the stream of war successes in recent days. Hundreds of Army personnel streamed past the crew's memorial, breaking down into sobs.
The crash also took the lives of Capt. James Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, Va., CW4 (Chief Warrant Officer) Erik Halvorsen, 40 of Bennington, Vt., CW3 Eric Smith, 41, and CW2 Scott Jamar, 32 of Granbury, Texas.
"What am I supposed to tell Destinee, your daughter?" Wofford cried aloud about Pedersen. "Who am I supposed to go to when I feel lost? You never prepared me for this. So, if I don't see you tomorrow or even the next day, I want you to know a person like you comes around only once in a lifetime.
"And that I love ya. We all love ya. So keep your head up, 'cause I'll see you when I get there."
To view this movie, you need to have an MPEG1-capable player like Windows Media Player or Quicktime installed. If you're having problems, double-check that you have the very latest version installed. We do not recommend Real Player, as it seems to be prone to error. If you'd like to save this movie, right-click this link and choose save as. Then you can play it at larger sizes, etc.
freedom isnt free - may their sacrifice never be forgotten...
04/29/2003
Blackhawk Crews Say Goodbye to Fallen Friends
By TARA COPP - Scripps Howard News Service
BAGHDAD - Choking from grief, Army Specialist Joshua Wofford helped say a final goodbye today to his best friend, Sgt. Mike Pedersen, a 26-year-old native of Flint, Mich. who was one of six Army helicopter crewmen who died April 2, 2003 when their Blackhawk crashed over Baghdad.
Ten days later, in a cavernous hangar at Saddam International Airport, the crew's dog tags, their boots and helmets were lined before two Blackhawks for a formal farewell. Five companies and a battalion stood at attention while the perished crew's sister helicopter team spoke in broken words.
"Mike, what's up man? I heard the craziest thing the other day. Somebody told me you're not going to be here tomorrow. This isn't how we planned. It was just the other day we were talkin' about what it was going to be like when we got out of here. What they're telling me can't be true. Maybe I'll know it when I call you to go play ball at the gym, or go out and have a good time, and you don't answer the phone."
The perished crew, from the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division out of Savannah, Ga., died when their helicopter crashed while moving equipment needed to take out pockets of the Medina Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard.
"He was the best man at my wedding, and the only man that I not only approved of, but gave my blessing to while dating my little sister," Specialist Joseph Arteno said of his lost "brother," Specialist Mathew Boule, a 22-year-old native of Dracut, Mass, also killed in the crash. "He was always quizzing me, sharing his wealth of knowledge. My wife would sometimes get aggravated, asking if that was all we ever talked about.
"It's hard talking about what he used to do, because he was a person that I thought would be here a long time."
The somber ceremony was a marked contrast to the stream of war successes in recent days. Hundreds of Army personnel streamed past the crew's memorial, breaking down into sobs.
The crash also took the lives of Capt. James Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, Va., CW4 (Chief Warrant Officer) Erik Halvorsen, 40 of Bennington, Vt., CW3 Eric Smith, 41, and CW2 Scott Jamar, 32 of Granbury, Texas.
"What am I supposed to tell Destinee, your daughter?" Wofford cried aloud about Pedersen. "Who am I supposed to go to when I feel lost? You never prepared me for this. So, if I don't see you tomorrow or even the next day, I want you to know a person like you comes around only once in a lifetime.
"And that I love ya. We all love ya. So keep your head up, 'cause I'll see you when I get there."
04/29/2003
Blackhawk Crews Say Goodbye to Fallen Friends
By TARA COPP - Scripps Howard News Service
BAGHDAD - Choking from grief, Army Specialist Joshua Wofford helped say a final goodbye today to his best friend, Sgt. Mike Pedersen, a 26-year-old native of Flint, Mich. who was one of six Army helicopter crewmen who died April 2, 2003 when their Blackhawk crashed over Baghdad.
Ten days later, in a cavernous hangar at Saddam International Airport, the crew's dog tags, their boots and helmets were lined before two Blackhawks for a formal farewell. Five companies and a battalion stood at attention while the perished crew's sister helicopter team spoke in broken words.
"Mike, what's up man? I heard the craziest thing the other day. Somebody told me you're not going to be here tomorrow. This isn't how we planned. It was just the other day we were talkin' about what it was going to be like when we got out of here. What they're telling me can't be true. Maybe I'll know it when I call you to go play ball at the gym, or go out and have a good time, and you don't answer the phone."
The perished crew, from the Army's 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division out of Savannah, Ga., died when their helicopter crashed while moving equipment needed to take out pockets of the Medina Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard.
"He was the best man at my wedding, and the only man that I not only approved of, but gave my blessing to while dating my little sister," Specialist Joseph Arteno said of his lost "brother," Specialist Mathew Boule, a 22-year-old native of Dracut, Mass, also killed in the crash. "He was always quizzing me, sharing his wealth of knowledge. My wife would sometimes get aggravated, asking if that was all we ever talked about.
"It's hard talking about what he used to do, because he was a person that I thought would be here a long time."
The somber ceremony was a marked contrast to the stream of war successes in recent days. Hundreds of Army personnel streamed past the crew's memorial, breaking down into sobs.
The crash also took the lives of Capt. James Adamouski, 29, of Springfield, Va., CW4 (Chief Warrant Officer) Erik Halvorsen, 40 of Bennington, Vt., CW3 Eric Smith, 41, and CW2 Scott Jamar, 32 of Granbury, Texas.
"What am I supposed to tell Destinee, your daughter?" Wofford cried aloud about Pedersen. "Who am I supposed to go to when I feel lost? You never prepared me for this. So, if I don't see you tomorrow or even the next day, I want you to know a person like you comes around only once in a lifetime.
"And that I love ya. We all love ya. So keep your head up, 'cause I'll see you when I get there."
in this box: