Their challenges during Operation Iraqi Freedom have been varied, but the men and women who have taken AH-64 Apache helicopters into harm’s way continue to stand tall.

In all, nearly 200 U.S. Army Apaches served in Iraq. Many Apaches remain in support of allied forces, and more Apache units will rotate into theater as long as American soldiers are present. Since the war began, Apaches have logged tens of thousands of combat hours and destroyed thousands of enemy targets, including tanks, trucks, air defense systems and artillery pieces.

Consider the success stories of just four Apache units – the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (6-6 CAV), based in Illesheim, Germany; and three Apache battalions from the 101st Aviation Regiment (101 AVN), based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Surviving the Gauntlet of Fire 6-6 CAV

Although the Apache Longbow’s performance was questioned after the fierce and much-publicized battle March 23, 2003, near Karbala, the men who fought that battle have a different story to tell. The soldiers of the 6-6 CAV endured a two-hour “gauntlet of enemy fire” that night. In the end, every Apache Longbow from 6-6 CAV returned to base.

Lt. Col. Mike Barbee, commander, 6-6 CAV, summed it up this way:

“They could not bring us down. The aircraft did not let us down. It’s the best there is. I wouldn’t want to go to war in any other aircraft than the Apache Longbow.”

Others had the same perspective. Apache pilot CW3 Craig Yerdon’s Apache was hit 16 times.

“The sky lit up with tracer fire,” he recalled. “It looked like they called out the Minutemen and anybody who had a rifle came out their front door and began shooting into the sky. It came from every corner, every backyard, every house, every tree – it came from everywhere.”

But, Yerdon’s Apache had no malfunctions.“We didn’t lose any systems,” he said.

After being repaired, a few days later the 6-6 CAV Apache Longbows were back in the conflict. Over the next year, 6-6 CAV pilots logged more than 900 combat missions, totaling more than 10,000 combat hours – all in the same aircraft that fought in Karbala.

Reflecting on the night of the March 23, Barbee pondered the view of the Iraqis who were attacking his Apaches.

“I have to wonder what they felt when they couldn’t bring us down,” he said. “It had to be very disheartening.”

First, Second and Third… but Second to None – 101 AVN

For the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 101st Aviation Regiment, life in Iraq meant everything from close-in combat and armed escort missions to reconnaissance and other support assignments. Soldiers of the 101AVN and their AH-64A and AH-64D Apaches challenged opposing forces with unmatched firepower and battlefield capabilities. The battalion commanders describe the prowess of Apache and the crews who fly and maintain them: Lt. Col. Doug Gabram, commander, 1-101 AVN, noted the Apache’s all-around capabilities even in the harsh desert environment and the difference it made in battle.

“The Apache is an aggressive, powerful, offensive weapon,” he said. “We worked with the infantry on raids against high-value targets and had to be ready at a moment’s notice. To be relevant for the battle commander, you have the get there fast and our Apaches routinely got off the ground in 15 or 20 minutes. The ability of this aircraft to be on station very quickly and provide situational awareness really gave the guys on the ground the advantage.”

“The 1st battalion was deployed for approximately 11 months. When all was said and done, we brought every soldier home – safely.”

Lt. Col. Steve Smith, commander, 2-101 AVN, praised the teams that kept his Apache in the fight.

“Infantry commanders told me their soldiers on the ground felt safer with Apaches overhead,” he said. “Flying and fighting was the job of the aviators and in Iraq the unsung heroes were the crew chiefs who had to turn (maintenance) phases quickly on the aircraft--since we were flying a 900-to-1,000-hour-per month pace in stressful situations. The re-armors and re-fuelers were able to get aircraft turned around and off the ground in record time.”

And, Lt. Col. Grady King, commander, 3-101 AVN, said Apache is appreciated by those who fly it and by those it flies to protect.

“The 3rd of the 101st has been on the leading edge of the War on Terror – going first to Afghanistan in 2002 and now more recently to Iraq,” he said. “This battalion took the lessons learned, applied them in the follow-on situations, and was successful.

“The Apache is a flexible, in-your-face kind of weapon that ‘takes it’ to the enemy. The infantry guys just love us because the enemy is afraid of the Apache. Infantrymen have told me they do their job better when the Apaches are on station.”

Apache operational rates remain extremely high while operating in adverse conditions, validating the belief that Apaches continue to do their jobs anywhere in the world.

Marc Sklar, Lisa Dunbar, Hal Klopper and Carole Thompson-Sutton contributed to this story.