بر روی اسب فولادی می‌رانم: تاریخچه‌ای از هلیکوپترهای MH-53 پِیو لو در جنگ و صلح

Pave Low. The term itself generates an image: a dark, wispy night a low, pulsating rumble approaching from the distance. The rumble becomes a presence, a large helicopter that settles onto the ground amidst the deep darkness. Earnest men of determination spew forth from it. Heavily armed, they quickly set up to collect intelligence, kill enemy troops, rescue downed or isolated friendly personnel, or otherwise conduct a direct action mission. Mission complete, they just as quickly reassemble, reboard the aircraft, and then disappear into the consuming darkness. It is a powerful image—a conjure, if you will—that strikes fear into any enemy of the United States. But the conjure is real. It is a helicopter called the MH-53J/M. The "Steel Horses." Born of necessity in the long war in Southeast Asia to fly search and rescue and special operations missions, the US Air Force fleet of 52 HH-53s and 20 CH-53s were subsequently modified with state-of-the-art precision navigation capability under a program called Pave Low and redesignated as MH-53J/Ms. Assigned as part of our special operations forces, they then flew in every major US military action until their inactivation in Iraq in September 2008. But the story is not just about the helicopters. It is also about the great Airmen who conceptualized, created, operated, maintained, loved, and, yes, sometimes cursed their Steel Horses. They and their great aircraft were the reality of the motto Any Time, Any Place. This is their story, the men and machines, from first to last, presented with deepest appreciation and respect for them and their service to our nation.