31 Die in Iraq Copter Crash

Thirty-one U.S. troops were killed in a desert helicopter crash and six more died in insurgent attacks Wednesday on the deadliest day for American forces since they led the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

With just four days before Iraq’s national election, at least 23 Iraqis were also reported killed Wednesday in a series of suicide bombings and ambushes by insurgents intent on disrupting the vote. Anxious residents are preparing for a virtual three-day national lockdown beginning Friday, in which Iraq’s borders will be sealed, schools and businesses closed and driving banned.

The military transport helicopter crash, which killed 30 Marines and one sailor, occurred during bad weather as troops conducted a mission to prepare for Sunday’s election, officials said. The cause of the crash was under investigation and the names of the victims were not released immediately by the military. There were no survivors, officials said.

President Bush, who is facing growing skepticism at home over his handling of the war, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and urged Americans to be patient with progress in Iraq.

“The story today is going to be very discouraging to the American people,” the president said during a White House news conference. “I understand that. We value life. And we weep and mourn when soldiers lose their life.”

“But it is the long-term objective that is vital,” Bush said, “and that is to spread freedom.”

Bush urged Iraqis to participate in the balloting to elect a transitional national assembly. Voter turnout is uncertain given ongoing violence and explicit threats by insurgents in several cities to kill those going to the polls.

“I urge all people to vote,” the president said. “I urge people to defy these terrorists. These terrorists are -- do not have the best interests of the Iraqi people in mind. They have no positive agenda.”

Before Wednesday’s 37 deaths, the highest number of U.S. troop fatalities in a single day was registered March 23, 2003 -- just days after the war began -- when 28 troops died in fighting.

Until Wednesday, the deadliest day after Bush declared an end to major combat operations in May 2003 had been Nov. 15, 2003, when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed in midair near Mosul after coming under fire, killing 17. Last month, 14 U.S. servicemen and eight others died when a suicide attacker disguised as an Iraqi soldier sneaked into a military dining facility in Mosul and detonated an explosives-laden vest.

U.S. military officials said the CH-53E Super Stallion may have gone down Wednesday in western Iraq because of bad weather, but the official cause of the 1:20 a.m. crash was still under investigation.

“Weather was bad. We don’t know of any enemy action,” said Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, who was in Washington to brief Congress about the war in Iraq.

Rain and sandstorms swept through Baghdad and other parts of Iraq overnight. Marines typically travel by helicopter at night to reduce the chances of insurgent attacks.

Personnel from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, based in Miramar, were transporting troops from the 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, when the helicopter crashed, officials said.

Although the military did not specify the home bases of any of the victims, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), in a statement of condolence, said that according to initial reports, at least four of those killed were from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and many of the others were based in Hawaii.

The crash occurred near the town of Rutbah, about 240 miles west of Baghdad, the last sizable city before the Jordanian border, officials said.

“While we mourn the loss of these heroes, we will honor their sacrifice by continuing our mission to bring democracy to the people of Iraq,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in a statement. “To the families of these brave men, our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to you at this most difficult of times.”

Word of the helicopter crash spread quickly throughout Marine units in Iraq. As is standard U.S. military procedure, Internet and phone service were immediately shut down to prevent the spread of information or rumors and to keep the families of the dead from learning about the tragedy through unofficial channels.

“Every day is hard here, but today is extra hard,” said Navy Lt. Adolph Smith, a United Methodist chaplain in Ramadi. “Everybody is dazed.”

“When you lose a brother [Marine], it’s hard on all of us,” said Cpl. Donald Neumann, 21, of Osakis, Minn., also stationed in Ramadi. “These are the people we’re serving with to protect the people back home. We’re brothers here.”

Military officials did not comment on where the helicopter was headed or what sort of election mission those on board were conducting.

U.S. forces have been boosting their presence across Iraq in anticipation of Sunday’s vote. Though Iraqi forces are expected to provide the bulk of security on election day, U.S. troops will back them up and have been mobilizing, setting up security checkpoints around polling stations, shutting down streets and arresting suspected insurgents.

Violence continued to rage Wednesday, with six car bomb explosions in three cities. Three cars exploded at about the same time near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, where ethnic tensions between Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens have been escalating in anticipation of the vote. At least eight Iraqis were killed -- six security officers, a woman and a child -- according to a Kirkuk police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

One of the bombers attacked a police station and another detonated his vehicle near a U.S. military convoy, witnesses said.

In Baghdad, two car bombers struck U.S. military convoys along the highway leading to Baghdad’s international airport, wounding seven soldiers.

A sixth vehicle bomb exploded near the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the town of Sinjar, west of Mosul, killing at least 15 people, city officials told Reuters.

The helicopter crash and attacks against U.S. troops brought the total number of American military personnel killed in Iraq since March 2003 to 1,409, according to a tally by Associated Press.

One soldier was killed in Baghdad and two wounded in a roadside bomb attack, the military said.

A 1st Infantry Division soldier was killed and two others wounded when insurgents attacked their patrol with rocket-propelled grenades near Duluiya, north of the capital.

In Haditha, west of Baghdad, four Marines in a convoy were killed during a firefight, according to a TV reporter with WABC in New York who was traveling with the Marines. Names of the victims were withheld pending notification of families.

More than 200 of the U.S. troop deaths since the war began have been as a result of transportation accidents -- at least 70 of them in helicopter crashes caused by enemy fire or equipment problems.

In a three-week period beginning in late October 2003, five Army helicopters crashed, taking 39 lives. As a result, the military began flying its helicopters closer to the ground, where they were more difficult to hit with missiles or other weaponry. But helicopters are also particularly fragile in the desert environment of Iraq, where dusty conditions can cause malfunctions, particularly during sandstorms.

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Death in the desert

Thirty Marines and one sailor were killed Wednesday when their transport helicopter - a CH-53E Super Stallion - crashed in bad weather near Rutbah in Iraq’s western desert.

CH-53E Super Stallion

Crew: 3

Seats: 37 (can be configured for more)

Speed: 172.5 mph

Range: 621 miles

Cost: $26,100,000

Primary function: Transporting heavy equipment and supplies

Armament: Two XM-218 .50- caliber machine guns

Power: Three General Electric turboshaft engines

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Deadliest days

Wednesday’s helicopter crash was the deadliest incident for American troops since they invaded Iraq 22 months ago. Here’s a list of the deadliest days for the U.S.:

Killed: 37

Date: Jan. 26, 2005

Incident: A U.S. CH-53E transport helicopter crashes in bad weather near Rutbah, killing 30 Marines and one sailor. Insurgents kill six other troops.

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Killed: 28

Date: March 23, 2003

Incident: Including convoy ambush near Nasiriya in which Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch is captured.

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Killed: 17

Date: Nov. 15, 2003

Incident: Two Black Hawk helicopters collide near Mosul

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Killed: 16

Date: Nov. 2, 2003

Incident: Chinook transport helicopter shot down by shoulder-fired antiaircraft missile near Fallouja.

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Killed: 14

Date: Dec. 21, 2004

Incident: A suicide bomb attack at a mess tent on a base near Mosul. Four U.S. civilians, three Iraqi national guardsmen and an unidentified person, possibly the bomber, also died.

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Sources: Associated Press; Jane’s Information Group; U.S. Marine Corps. Graphics reporting by Pat Rathbun

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Times staff writer Tony Perry traveling with the 1st Marine Division in Ramadi and special correspondent Yalman Ahmed in Kirkuk contributed to this report.