Chinooks in AF

Currently watching the last half of a pretty cool show on PBS called "America at a Crossroads." This episode is entitled "From Kansas to Kandahar: Citizen Soldiers at War." It's about an Army Reserve Chinook unit from KS recalled to extended active duty first in Pakistan responding to the earthquake in '05 and then deploying into AF. It's a very different show because they think nothing of simply letting several minutes of uncut video of a helo assault run with nothing for audio but the chopper turbines and radio chatter. I like it a lot better than the usual 2 sentences of radio chatter with 15 seconds of footage before the narrator's voice cuts back in. Lots of good camera diaries with people just speaking into the camera about their feelings, etc. I highly recommend it if you can catch it on your PBS station.

Couple of pretty good quotes:

During an air assault...

"Feel like Ride of the Valkyeries should be playing or something."
"Duh-duh-duh-duuuh-duh, duh-duh-duh-duuuh-duh--"
"Wagner you ain't."
"Roger that sir."
"...hey sir? I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

Crew Chief: "We got two detainees comin' on, no guards."
AC: "No guards?"
Crew Chief: "No guards."
AC: "If they act up they're goin' out the back."

"Why are we in Afghanistan? I don't know...that's for people who make more money than me."

"People are gettin' tired, gettin' worn out...I hope the more tired they get the more diligent they get in their duties."

"I've got 32 years to retirement--I know that sounds so horrible."

I think the funniest moment of the entire show was very unintentional. The camera crew is interviewing this young female lieutenant about the recent losses some infantry units suffered in their AOR. While she's talking about warfare and death, "that guy," dressed in his ACUs and wearing his IBA and helmet rode by in the background on a nice little ten speed. On a FOB in AF.