According to Air Force Secretary Wynne, wounded troops have a much better chance of surviving thanks to the C-17. Speaking on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Wynne said that in Vietnam, injured troops had a 75 percent chance of survival, while, today in Iraq, the rate is up to 91 percent. He upped that survival rate to 93.5 percent if the troops make it to Balad AB, Iraq. Wynne said that the C-17 strategic airlifter—by operating near the front lines—is “allowing [the higher rate] to happen.”
A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber flew from Europe across the Middle East to the Persian Gulf on July 25 in a 32-hour flight, as conflicts continued to roil the area with U.S. troops coming under attack in Iraq and Syria on July 25 and July 26, U.S. officials told…