https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2008/07/22/combined-arms/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usThu, 11 Jun 2026 04:27:52 -0400<![CDATA[Two stories of ground to ground and air to ground from Iraq and Afghanistan, 2006 convey some of the flavor of events which were not publicized at the time. The first involved the fight around a downed helicopter suddenly beset by a lightly armed unit&#8217;s worst nightmare: numerically superior enemy with lots and lots of crew served weapons. An MH-6 Little Bird had been hit with a dud RPG which nevertheless took out the tail rotor. It landed in the desert in close proximity to the enemy it had been stalking. Another Little Bird settled in beside it while Blackhawks evacuated the crew. A perimeter with about 20 men was established around the downed helicopter when suddenly several enemy trucks with dual 14.5 mm antiaircraft machine guns and lots of infantry appeared. The hunter had become the hunted.]]>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:24:01 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2008/07/22/combined-arms-n185786