Helicopter Pilot: Actually, Yes, Brian Williams' Chopper Did Take Fire In 2003.

[elleng]

The pilot of a helicopter on which NBC News anchor Brian Williams flew in Iraq said on Thursday that the aircraft did take some fire in 2003, adding another twist to a story that the newsman was forced to recant and apologize for this week.

Pilot Rich Krell told CNN's Brian Stelter that Williams had some of the facts right, but did make some mistakes in telling the story.

Williams issued multiple apologies on Wednesday night for saying that he was in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket propelled grenade while covering the Iraq War in 2003. He admitted he was in a different helicopter and blamed the errors on "the fog of memory."

But Krell appeared to back up at least some of what Williams has said during repeated tellings of the story over the past decade, even if the anchor did get some things wrong. The most striking thing that Krell said was that the military helicopter Williams was riding in did in fact come under enemy fire, though it was not from an RPG.

"Some of things he's said are not true. But some of the things they're saying against him are not true either," Krell told CNN.

Their helicopter was second in a formation of three aircraft carrying bridge parts, according to Krell. The first helicopter was hit with the RPG attack, which Williams likely did not witness from his seat in the back of the chopper.

All three of the helicopters were hit by small arms fire, however, according to Krell.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/iraq-pilot-brian-williams-fire

[pinboy3niner]

1. He changed his story on Friday

Pilot in Brian Williams scandal: 'I am questioning my memories'
By Brian Stelter

The pilot I interviewed on Thursday about Brian Williams is no longer standing by his story.

That pilot, Rich Krell, told me he was flying the helicopter Williams was on in Iraq -- an account now contradicted by several other soldiers.

On Friday morning, Krell told me that "the information I gave you was true based on my memories, but at this point I am questioning my memories."

...


http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/06/media/stelter-iraq-pilots/

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Krell may be misremembering.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/06/media/stelter-iraq-pilots/index.html

On Friday morning, Krell told me that "the information I gave you was true based on my memories, but at this point I am questioning my memories."

-snip-

On Thursday night, two others, Christopher Simeone and Allan Kelly, told The New York Times that they -- not Krell -- had piloted Williams' helicopter, and that "they did not recall their convoy of helicopters coming under fire."

-snip-

Simeone, Kelly and a third soldier, Joseph Miller, also spoke with The Omaha World-Herald. The newspaper wrote this:

"Simeone and Kelly said only two helicopters were in their group, from Company B of the 159th Aviation. They said Krell was piloting the first helicopter. Simeone and Kelly were pilots on the second Chinook, and Miller was in their crew."

[Demit]

3. Doesn't say much for anybody's memories, does it.

Or, whose memories are we supposed to believe now?

[TexasProgresive]

4. Kind of like how eye witness testimony is seldom accurate. n/t

The pilot may be excused. He may experience enemy fire at other times and it all just ran together. Williams claim to his flight being under fire may have conflated the pilots memories.

[elleng]

5. Right, and add the fog of war.

[pinboy3niner]

6. ...

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/223132/frog-of-war

[elleng]

8. THAT, my dear boy, is a FROG!

THIS is FOG!!!
.html?sort=3&o=503

[jeff47]

10. Memories in stressful/emotional situations aren't very accurate

and our brains frequently rewrite the memory to fit more with what we want it to be.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/911-memory-accuracy/

[notundecided]

11. Shits lie us into a war

And this guy embellishes his little helicopter ride. God ,can we get our priorities straight.

[former9thward]

7. Williams seems to get attacked a lot in choppers.

This from 2007. In this interview he says he was in a helicopter that came under attack by Hezbollah in Israel. He also says people he was with in the Super Dome died in Katrina. As far as the 2003 Iraq incident he says he was right behind the helicopter that was brought down and could see "down the tubes" of the rocket.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. He also took fire in The Khyber Pass

https://m.