The Typical Selfless And Brave American Soldier

If this story below doesn't exemplify the dedication, the fearlessness and the ingenuity of today's soldiers that fight our battles for us around the world daily nothing does .
|

Gunship co-pilot gives his seat to wounded GI -- and straps himself to the fuselage:

StarTribune"Giving up his seat to a wounded soldier, an Army officer strapped himself to the side of his Apache helicopter gunship that airlifted them out of a furious firefight in Iraq, the U.S. command said Monday.

The Army called it an 'unusual casualty evacuation,' but Chief Warrant Officer Allen Crist's selfless act goes way beyond heroism."

Realizing that Specialist Jeffrey Jamaleldine needed medical attention fast, Crist put the critically wounded man in his own spot on the two-seat Apache on Saturday.

Crist then rigged a harness to strap himself to the fuselage and crouched on the stubby left gun wing of the aircraft.

With Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Purtee at the controls and Crist hanging on for dear life, the Apache flew out of the battle zone to a field hospital. Jamaleldine, 31, of Fort Smith, Ark., was later reported to be in stable condition, the Army said.

Crist, the co-pilot and gunner, of Warrensburg, Mo., and pilot Purtee, from Houston, were unscathed.

Awesome story that makes you feel good that these are the caliber of people who are charged with protecting us daily and to top that off, they volunteered to do it.

An extraordinary brand of human being and warrior is the American soldier, and the thanks they get for the work they do is so insufficient it 's almost embarrassing they are not the highest paid workers in the American workforce unequivocally.

Technorati Tags:us military, army, navy, airforce, marines, brave, selfless, unbeatable, strength, brotherhood, pentagon, soldiers, cheif warrant officer, kevin purtee, cheif warrant officer crist, apache helicopter
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

---