In honor of Veterans Day, the Pennsylvania National Guard Public Affairs Office released an iconic photo of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter evacuating detainees from the roof of a house in Afghanistan on Nov. 10, 2003. 

The Afghanistan helicopter photo was taken by Army journalist Greg Heath, a Delaware County native, writes Claudia Dimuro for Penn Live.  

The helicopter was piloted by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Larry Murphy and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Paul Barnes of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Company G, 104th Aviation Regiment.

The chopper had received a call to assist soldiers who were transporting detainees in custody to Bagram Airfield, according to a release.

When it arrived, the helicopter had no place to land, so the two pilots landed the helicopter’s rear wheels on the roof of the tiny home.

“It looks pretty tenuous putting a 50,000-pound aircraft on a mud hut, but if you look at it, it’s a fairly sturdy structure,” Murphy said.

As an EMS pilot, the maneuver was “all in a day’s work,” he said.

Barnes said the photo pops up about once a year.

“It’s a cool memory to have and a little 15 minutes of fame.”

Find out more about this unique Afghanistan helicopter photo at Penn Live.