Video of Little Bird rescuing Polish ambassador

Here's a video of the Blackwater "Little Bird" landing on a Baghdad street to evacuate Poland's ambassador to Baghdad, Edward Pietrzyk, after he survived an assassination attempt by Islamist insurgents. After the ambush, the US Embassy called in Blackwater to fly in a Little Bird to extract the wounded ambassador; the US military for some reason could not send in a helicopter. The October 3, 2007 rescue received little media attention in the US.

NBC broadcasts 'heroic rescue' of Polish ambassador

NBC's Richard Engels reported from Baghdad October 3 on Blackwater's rescue of Poland's ambassador to Iraq. Anchor Brian Williams notes what he calls the company's "heroic rescue" of Ambassador Edward Pietrzyk, saying, "Turns out the ambassador was evacuated to safety by a helicopter operated by Blackwater USA."

Engels noted an irony that one group of Blackwater guards was under investigation for the September 16 Nisoor Square incident while another group was being celebrated as heroes. He recounted the triple IED attack on the ambassador's convoy, followed by an ambush on the burning vehicles with automatic weapons. The ambassador's driver was killed and others in his entourage, including his guards, were wounded. The Polish diplomat himself escaped but was burned so badly that he could not walk on his own.

"Then," Engels reports, "it was Blackwater in their Little Bird helicopter that was able to enter this area, extricate the ambassador, and medevac him to the Green Zone where he was taken to a US military hospital. . . ."

Here's the link to the video: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/21120977#21120977

Photos show pilot skill in rescuing Polish envoy

Photos of the dramatic October 3 rescue of Polish Ambassador Edward Pietrzyk show just how risky the maneuver was for the skilled Blackwater helicopter pilot.

It's no small thing to land a helicopter with its spinning rotor blades into a city street. Apart from possible terrorists and insurgents, the real dangers to the crew were the many lightposts and telephone and electrical lines that bordered the landing area.

In the top photo, the Blackwater "Little Bird" is shown landing, with high lamp posts on the right and what appear to be telephone or electrical poles on the left. Down the street, fire engines spray water on the burning wreck of Ambassador Pietrzyk's armored vehicle.

The middle photo shows Blackwater gunners on either side of the helicopter after stepping off the skids and onto the street. The fire engines are behind the one on the right. (The same guard can be seen standing in the skid in the top photo.)

The lower photo shows the helicopter near the fire engines, with phone or electrical wires stretching across the street. The slightest pilot error, shift in weight or unexpected wind could have caused havoc with the helicopter and with the people on the ground. The mission, however, was a complete success.