Charleston Crews Under Fire

The Post & Courier reports on new threats facing our brave C-17 flyers:

...with a new push to reduce ground convoys in Iraq and move supplies to troops by air, more crews are flying back to Charleston and other U.S. bases with stories about their planes taking fire.
Perched in the cockpit of her C-17, Capt. Michele Lobianco spotted a missile heading toward her one night last September in Iraq.
She and her Charleston-based crew had just taken off after unloading supplies for a group of Marines. Looking left, she spotted the rocket's tail glowing green through her night-vision goggles...
"You get mad about it later," Lobianco said. "You think, 'Someone just tried to kill me.' "

In recent weeks, military officials have grown particularly concerned about flight operations after Iraqi insurgents shot down six helicopters and Sunni militants bragged that "God has granted new ways" to threaten U.S. aircraft.
The Air Force was unable to provide statistics for the last few months, but between Sept. 30, 2005, and Oct. 1, 2006, Air Force aircraft took fire 215 times.

Keep your heads down fellas, and God Bless!