On March 12, a Black Hawk helicopter crashed outside Kandahar, killing five U.S. troops.

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She was later flown out on a Black Hawk helicopter for more intensive treatment.

CNN: 's Karl Penhaul

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Durant, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, was shot down in 1993 during a combat mission in Mogadishu, Somalia.

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The Black Hawk helicopter crashed at about 10 a.m. in the Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar, a hotbed of the insurgency, Afghan and Western officials said.

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She also served in the Clinton administration in 1993 when Somali gunmen killed 18 American soldiers and dragged a Black Hawk helicopter pilot through the streets of Mogadishu.

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As a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost both legs to a grenade, Duckworth had the backing of President Obama as well as Democratic Senate Leader Dick Durbin.

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Later, Hagel was flown in an Israeli Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over northern Israel to view the Golan Heights, an area along the Syrian border that Israel captured during the 1967 Six-Day War.

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The Black Hawk is the US's most important combat helicopter, designed to move quickly into hostile environments and deliver or collect troops and armaments.

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