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"Kiowa Down" Documentary

Sep-25-2005 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

I'm a bit tardy in posting this information, but there is a new television documentary called "Kiowa Down" that chronicles the rescue of a helicopter crew by 5-20 INF, 3/2 SBCT last September in Tal Afar. The operation was detailed in a long article last November by Matthew Cox that is a must read. Provided below is the full text of an email I received from the film's producer regarding upcoming viewings on the Military Channel and Video On Demand.

*****

All,

Thank you for your help on the (Discovery) Military Channel documentary "Kiowa Down", episode #8 of the Battlefield Diaries series. "Kiowa Down" documents the heroic efforts of the 5-20 SCBT from Ft Lewis, WA on September 4th of last year. On that date, the 5-20 raced into the hostile city of Tal Afar (near Mosul in NW Iraq) in an effort to rescue the crew of a downed Kiowa helicopter.

The documentary was chosen to appear on Video On Demand (VOD). The Sneak Peek of "Kiowa Down" will be up on VOD from August 26th to September 29th. (It will be promoting both the VOD premiere and the Military Channel premiere).

The entire (one hour) episode of Kiowa Down will be up on VOD from September 9th to October 6th.

The documentary will debut on the Military Channel at a date and time to be announced in the not-so-distant future. I will notify all of you once I am aware.

Please forward this e-mail to your friends, family, fellow soldiers and colleagues so that they are aware of the program's air dates.

For those of you in the service, thank you!

Jake Klim
Normandy Films

Since receiving this email the Military Channel has scheduled the premiere for Monday, September 26 at 10 PM EST.

Here's a description from the site:

A "routine mission" in Iraq on Sept. 4, 2004, turned into a raging firefight for Stryker troops with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Scout Platoon, and B Company of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, as they fought off heavy fire (including 60-mm mortars and RPGs) in a rescue mission launched after Iraqi insurgents shot down a Kiowa helicopter and swarmed to capture it and the two pilots. Kiowa Down has all the action and drama of Black Hawk Down, but with a happy ending. The soldiers of 5-20 said this mission was the most intense fight they had encountered since being deployed in December 2003. B Company killed 66 enemies, and the Scout Platoon killed 46. (There were also 17 wounded.) The number of Americans killed in action: zero. There were only five U.S. wounded, in addition to the two pilots.

UPDATE 9/28/05: If you missed it the first time around, Kiowa Down will be replayed on November 20th at 12PM EST.


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