Troubled Osprey Set To Take Flight In Iraq

(CBS)  Ten V-22 Ospreys are flying from the USS Wasp in the Red Sea, through Jordan, to western Iraq.

In keeping with the Osprey's troubled history, one of them developed mechanical problems and had to return to the Wasp for repairs before resuming its flight, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

The Marines kept the flight secret because they don't want to draw attention to what is sure to become a trophy target for the enemy.

The Osprey will operate in the wide open spaces of Al Anbar province, where former Marine Bing West says its speed of nearly 300 mile per hour -- twice as fast as a helicopter -- is just what the Marines need.

"The Osprey gives them the opportunity of being any place in Anbar within a half an hour of when they're called out," said West.

But even before it enters combat, the Osprey already has claimed 30 lives in crashes during its development, the worst one killing all 19 Marines on board, Martin adds.

A test pilot who survived a crash had told 60 Minutes his doubts about how well the complex tilt rotor design would ever work.

"It's a part helicopter," said Grady Wilson. "It's a part fixed wing. As such, it will never be an excellent helicopter or an excellent fixed wing."

Former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney tried to kill the program in 1989, but the Marines persuaded Congress to buy it anyway.

"You've directed me to buy the V-22, a program I don't need," said Cheney.

The crashes and resulting delays drove the cost up to $70 million a copy.

"Now the challenge is going to be, is it going to turn out to have been worth all that political investment as well as financial investment," said West.

If the Osprey survives in Iraq as well as it survived in Washington, it will be a success. If it performs as poorly as it did during its development, it will be a disaster.

[tlc576-2009]

How can you put the lives of our Husbands, Wives and friends in danger by putting up information about where they are located? Do you have no conscience? If anything happens to them it will be on your heads and I hope you get punished severely for this! As a wife of a sailor on board this ship, I take special precautions not to let ANYONE know where they are, even the rest of our families because I know I can keep it a secret but I do not know of them. How stupid can news reporters be?

[marinechlck]

You owe a HUGE apology to not only spouses, finacees, mothers, fathers, relatives and children of our Sailors and Marines onboard the Wasp but most importantly you owe an even bigger apology to our Sailors and Marines. They risk their lives everyday to let you keep your job and all you can do is jepordize them. What a sad sad soul.

[navywife2007]

My dad is on that ship. I am a 16 year old boy and I see my mom cry because she misses my dad. I hope my dad can come to us. I hope you didn''t put my dad in danger. I am still growing and need my dad.

[aowife]

My husband and father of 4 is out there fighting for you to have the right to report your news, the least you can do is keep him and everyone else safe by not disclosing there location. We all want to know what is happening out there but if it risks our sailors lives why in the world would you disclose secret information. You get to sleep safe at night with your family, tucked in your own beds, while our sailors are out there fighting to keep you safe. You look like a fool and so does your news station. And I am sure that if you had a son/daughter on this ship you would have never printed this. YOU ARE A RAT AND SO IS EVERYONE ELSE WHO APPROVED YOUR ARTICLE!!!!
KEEP OUR SAILORS SAFE!!!!

[navywife2007]

I can''t believe that you are willing to risk the lives of our loved ones over what? As reporters you should know all about the Cole bombing and what happen there and how did that happen? Oh yeah that is right by someone opening their mouths. If my husband doesn''t return home because a reporter opened up his or her mouth and reported something that wasn''t suppose to be told then I hope you never face yourself in the mirror again. Our love ones put themselves to risk every day of their lives to protect us here in the United States and you felt you needed to share this for what reasons? You need some serious actions taken for all of this. Now you have worried family members stressing out even more. Learn what to report and when to report it.

[surrykin]

CBS NEWS:
There is an old Navy saying that I Respect even when I was growing up as a Navy Brat & now as a Proud Navy Wife & it still stands "TRUE"

"LOOSE LIPS SINKS SHIPS"

My 22 years of marriage to my Sailor & now on my 15th Deployment & to all the Sea Going Commands that we have been to & going to,that I have never so far read an "Heart Stopped, Fearful & Dis-Respectful" article.

I know All the Local T.V Stations Reporters from CBS, NBC & ABC. They "Protect Our Sailors, Ships & Their Spouses & Families Back Home".

Mr. David Martin needs to come to Norfolk, Va to "Watch & Learn" from the Greatest Reporters in their jobs!

I will be "Happy" to teach Mr. David Martin "How to Respect & Protect" Our Ships, Spouses & Families.

I will be waitng for Mr. David Martin- to "Apologize in Person" to ALL The Ships''Crew & Her Company,Their Spouses,Families Back Home for "Causing Our Sailors to lose Their E-mail Privileges for 48 hours the day Mr. David Martin e-mailed his story from the ship on Oct. 4,2007" & "HIS RUDENESS"

Mr. David Martin- " Was it Worth the Story Now"?

E-mail me back - I will be proud to give you my name!

[ltsnavybrat]

I agree with everybody else that has posted, David Martin you are a disgrace and I feel terrible that your family has to have such a scum bag in it, I wish you would have to go fight in Iraq and have to deal with everything instead of being a little arrogant fool and putting our information out, you need to go back to college and study more, and while you''re at it---look upthe definition of secret, and seriously-study that term really hard. Think before you go and put our military''s lives on the line-it''s fools like you that make things like the USS Cole happen. God have mercy on your pathetic soul.

[navygal0205]

NOT do exactly what all of these other wives said you did but you diclosed EXACTLY where they where headed and where they ARE!!!! What are you people thinking?!?!!?!? Our ombusman WILL find out about this and So will our CO!!! I am VERY ashamed of these actions a worldwide news crew would do, and honestly was it worth it?!?!!? I will let all of my family members and friends know not to support your news crew!

[navymom3kids]

What could you, your editors, your staff of lawyers, your crack Military experts possibly been thinking? You have put thousands of lives on the line and in danger with your irresponisble reporting!
Military and their families have to uphold OPSEC...for the safety and security of all involved and so that the ENEMY NOT KNOW what is coming. Now, thanks to your irresponsible and embecilic actions, you have put the lives of our loved ones on the line. You have jeopardized a mission. You have put information out there which should never, under any circumstances, been published or broadcast!
Your reporter could not apologize enough for his actions, but, he needs to try! Your broadcasting company, as well as the reporter, editor, director, producer, need and should be held accountable and responsible.
As so many others have stated before me, SHAME ON YOU!!!!!! You are an embarrassment to your profession. You are a safety risk to our loved ones.
For those of you who are reading this story and following posts who are praying people, please pray for the safety of the ship and it''s crew...in all of it''s missions.
For the sake of OPSEC, this story needs to be removed immediately and all links and references to this story deleted. This reporter needs to be FIRED IMMEDIATELY!

[navywife1112]

As a reporter you should be aware of OpSec and what that means. I can''t believe how stupid and selfish you could be to just make a busk or get a story, you put thousands of peoples lives at risk today. This is information that the navy spouses do not even have access to and you just put it out there for anyone who wants to hurt out sailors and marines. You put a target on my husband back as well as thousands of our sailors and marines.