Fires of freedom still burning bright

My brother was my wing man at that point and as we took evasive maneuvers I heard him they were taking rounds. By the time I got turned around to see him he was gone. As I continued to look for his helicopter we were also shot down. I was able to land the helicopter in a small courtyard. I shut down the helicopter to assess the damage and to make sure my crew was ok. My crew was fine and the helicopter was shot up pretty bad but was able to fly the three to five minutes back to the Green zone.

...

It took about twenty minutes to locate the helicopter. It had been shot down in a small ally which made it very difficult to locate. By the time we found the helicopter two of the bodies were dragged out and into the street. The Army and our PSD team got there just in time before they could do anything with them. I landed at that location so I could make sure they were my guys. When I unzipped the second body bag that the Army had already put them in, I found my brother.

Just a reminder, there are still men out there dying. They are giving their lives for a noble cause that is greater than any one life: freedom. Many of them wear the uniform. Some do not.

When I was there, I was really impressed with the professionalism and skills of the Blackwater guys, as well as the Global, Bechtel and other teams. The skill and reflexes of the Brits on the Bechtel team saved my life, when our truck was hit by a VBIED at the Assasin's Gate. These are not 'Mercenaries', they are men who believe in what we are doing and risk their lives every day for their brothers. Sometimes literally.