Who had their butt saved by a OH-58D when they were in Afghanistan or Iraq?

2014-08-08T19:08:18-04:00

In tribute to our Kiowa aviators, who flew more combat hours than any other airframe in theatre, please share your experiences with them.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2014 11:42 PM

2014-08-08T23:42:18-04:00

I wish I had a story on it, SFC. Sounds like you do. Care to share with us?

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Dec 2 at 2014 2:57 AM

2014-12-02T02:57:00-05:00

Please check out this excellent thread that was just posted today.

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/kiowa-warriors-leaving-afghanistan-and-the-army?n=350961&page=1&urlhash=350961#350961

Kiowa Warriors Leaving Afghanistan...and the Army... | RallyPoint

I wanted to share this articles with everyone because as the Kiowa Warrior leaves the battlefield in Afghanistan, it marks an end of an era for air-ground integration. The KWs are also being phased out of use on the Army and that also marks an end of an era. While serving in Afghanistan with A/3/4 CAV, my Troop were the ground scouts with two Troops of KWs. They went out with us on every mission and were, what I like to call, angels over our...

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2014 5:40 AM

2014-12-02T05:40:19-05:00

We had a LRS team in contact in 2003 in Mosul. I was on the QRF on the way to back them up. It was a 6 man team up against a truck load of guys. They were pretty much pinned down. While on the way there I here a voice on the net say "You guys better hurry up. I'm going to do what I can." (The 101st was in charge of the AO and always had birds in the air for gun fights. They would just go from fight to fight in the city.) We weren't too far away and we heard them coming. It was too dark to see them but you would the chop of the blades and the guns blazing. It was pretty bad ass. By the time we got there the bad guys ran away. Just having them in the air would scare the b-geezus out of them.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 3 at 2014 5:45 PM

2014-12-03T17:45:14-05:00

I do recall an OH-58 team having one bird go down south of Baghdad in 2007 and the other bird set down and gave a spur ride to their wingmen. It happened right after one of our Apache crews did the same thing.

Aviators get a lot of sh*t, but they are pretty awesome and courageous when it comes down to it.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 3 at 2014 6:14 PM

2014-12-03T18:14:24-05:00

I just found this by accident.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Dec 3 at 2014 10:13 PM

2014-12-03T22:13:08-05:00

Conducting route recon/ security in Iraq, 2006 in the Triangle of Death Mahmudiya District near Yusufiyah and Mahmoudiyah, we had stopped to check a suspicious garbage pile on the side of a road... a pair of OH58's came sliding by at low attitude.. turned and came back. Hovered ... out the right hand glass came something heavy attached to a chem light.

Lead truck TC jumped out and retrieved the "thing" It was a water bottle, with a chem light inside, and a note attached.. Ambush---around --Corner.

We dismounted and routed the fine fellows that had been waiting for us just a few hundred meters ahead.

Had the OH team not been there we would have driven into the ambush.

Response by 1SG Steven Stankovich made Dec 26 at 2014 7:14 AM

2014-12-26T07:14:37-05:00

Our KWs were out with us on every mission when we were in Afghanistan in 04-05. The crews from C and B TRPs 3/4 CAV always took care of us A TRP Ground Scouts. It was like having angels on our shoulders. Here is one of out Scout Weapons Teams providing some cover while we were on a short halt...

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 21 at 2015 11:17 PM

2015-01-21T23:17:21-05:00

The final OH-58D (R) has just been delivered to the United States Army. Respect!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v= [login to see] 52805&set=vb [login to see] 37031&type=2&theater

Bell Helicopter | Facebook

After more than forty-five years in production, Bell Helicopter delivered the last OH-58D Kiowa Warrior cabin to U.S. Army this week. We are proud of the...

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jan 23 at 2015 10:27 AM

2015-01-23T10:27:34-05:00

I was on Davis Monthan AFB yesterday and say it for my own eyes. A line of Kiowas (almost a full squadron) fully shrink-wrapped among the F-16's and other retired badasses. Very sad.

Response by SSG Gerhard S. made Jan 23 at 2015 10:38 AM

2015-01-23T10:38:58-05:00

I Did!. We were clearing the road from Abu Ghraib to BIAP in April 2004 which had been shut down by a concentration of insurgents for a number of days. That stretch of road was littered with burned out tractor trailers, craters that a truck could fit into, and other choke points. At least one helicopter had been shot down in the previous days, killing a LTC. Our supply convoy took heavy fire on the way to BIAP, and we responded with 14 heavily armed vehicles to escort them back..... we traveled TO BIAP at 25 MPH hoping to draw fire and fix the enemy.... we took no fire at that speed though. Once we linked up with the convoy we traveled at 50 mph and took all kinds of fire. Fortunately we had some Kiowa support who did a GREAT job of suppressing the fires coming from 2 canal lines off the road (inaccessible from the highway.) while we engaged the line of sight threats. There were a number of choke points on the road, including a large crater with car sized pieces of asphalt littering the roadway, and a burning fuel tanker requiring us to slow down and pass it halfway into the ditch. There were heavy concentrations of fire in these areas and at least one bad guy with an RPG. The Kiowa's were a God-send. Intel advised there were an inordinate number of funerals in the surrounding area the following day. The following day we cleared the road more thoroughly with both mounted, dismounted, and K9 teams. The road stayed clear and open after that day.