Deadly Mistake

As a former Navy helicopter pilot who had a long, safe career, I am incensed at the tragedy in which U.S. military planes shot down two friendly helicopters over Iraq's no-fly zone ((IRAQ, April 25)). I have many questions, but chief among them are, How can an interceptor justify shooting someone down without prior verbal warning? What was the visual-I.D. training that the pilots received? Have the tremendous budget cuts caused a reduction in the readiness and capability of our military? This is one of the more serious military accidents we have experienced in recent years. There are so many ways...

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