Army Aviation in Oregon has beenresourced with some of the finest equip-ment the US Army has had to offer. In the

past the Oregon Army National Guard (ORANG)has operated UH-1 Hueys, OH-58 Kiowas, OV-1Mohawks, U-8 Seminoles and U-21 Utes. It wasthe last Guard unit to operate Mohawks, whichserved in Oregon for a lengthy period beforebeing turned over to the active-duty componentin 1993 to serve at Camp Humphries in SouthKorea. Today, the ORANG is equipped withlatest-standard UH-60L Blackhawks and CH-47DChinooks, along with older types like the C-23Sherpa, OH-58 Kiowa and C-12 Huron nowscheduled for replacement.

Today’s citizen soldiers and their aviationcomponents are based at three Oregon loca-tions. The largest is the Army Aviation SupportFacility (AASF) at McNary Field, some 45 milessouth of Portland, which is close to the Guard’sheadquarters in the State’s capital city of Salem.During the eighties, the helicopter unit based atMcNary Field formed the aviation element of 41Infantry Brigade – Enhanced, which flew a mixof UH-1 Hueys and OH-58 Kiowas. In addition,there existed a small cavalry section at Salem.Headquartered at La Grande, the 3/116 CavalrySquadron operated a section of OH-58 Kiowas.

All were transitioned initially into one airassault company flying Hueys, designatedB-Company 1/108 and later B-Company 1/135.The only Kiowas retained at that time were twoexamples (subsequently three) operated in thecounter-drug role. However, the unit assumedthe Medevac mission and became the 1042ndMedical Company (Air Ambulance) in March1995. Briefly, it continued to fly the Huey untilthese were replaced with 15 new UH-60LBlackhawks, on a one-to-one basis.

More commonly known as the ‘Coyotes’, the1042nd took its Blackhawks to the JointReadiness Training Centre (JRTC) at Ft. Polk in1998, to undertake its first practice strategicdeployment.The following year a team with heli-copters was sent to Turkey in support of theMarine Expeditionary Force. The first realdeployment came in March 2000 when sixUH-60L Blackhawks and 59 personnel were sentto Bosnia as part of Stabilization Force (SFOR) 7.The mission lasted 270 days, ending in October.

The helicopters did not receive any particularmodifications before being flown to CorpusChristi where they were disassembled andloaded aboard ships for the journey to Croatia.Prior to their deployment however, personnelhad to undertake qualification courses providedby the 5th Army. During a three-week period,soldiers did a so-called basic validation coursethat embodied Theater-specific IndividualReadiness Training (TSIRT) at the Armed ForcesTraining Facility at Camp Rilea in northernOregon. It was esssential everyone had a fullunderstanding of all relevant aspects of theupcoming mission, from occupying an assemblyarea to reacting to a nine-line Medevac request.The latter is the way an army soldier typicallycalls for a medical evacuation, either by radio oron paper, providing the unit with nine specificlines of pick-up information including location,call-signs, frequencies, number of ambulatorypatients, special equipment needed and landingzone markings.

Within 18 months the unit was again calledfor duty, this time to reinforce the efforts of the44th Medical Command at Fort Bragg, North

SPECIAL REPORT

OregonDefendersPart 3:Oregon Army National GuardThe history and tradition of the Oregon National Guard is grounded in itsmission statement: "A ready force equipped and trained to respond toany contingency. When we are needed, we are there." Officially createdin 1961, the Oregon Military Department oversees Oregon's Army and AirNational Guard units and is responsible for administering, equipping andtraining this ‘ready force’ of citizen soldiers founded by local settlers in1843. The Guard supports the state’s governor helping fellow Oregoniansin times of civil strife or natural disaster. Equally it serves as a reserveforce for the United States Air Force and United States Army. Since 11September 2001, the Oregon National Guard has fielded over 7,000soldiers and airmen in support of more than 24 deployments, and theArmy Aviation element has frequently deployed to various war zones.

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commitment went so far that theApache groundcrews would drive out to the helicopters andinitiate the weapons systems while crews werestill in their briefings.Although this is not in linewith the standard manual, valuable time wassaved and the teams could get off the ground inthe minimum of time, thereby increasing ourchances to save lives. All truly embraced therescue mission”.

The unit maintained an operational readinessrate of 97 percent during the entire deployment,with all medics qualified and certified for BasicTrauma Life Support (BTLS) and AdvancedCardio Life Support (ACLS). The team workedclosely with the Combined Joint SpecialOperations Task Force (CJSOTF) to provide fastand qualified medical support to all SpecialForces Operational Detachment A teams

Oregon Defenders

Carolina. The initial group was activated on 18March 2002 and comprised 20 personnel andthree helicopters. InApril the rest of the 1042ndMedical Company (AirAmbulance) was called todeploy to Afghanistan in support of OperationEnduring Freedom (OEF) 2, as well as to Kuwaitand Saudi Arabia. Commonly referred to as the‘Big Deployment’,12 helicopters were sent in allleaving just three at the Salem base. Once certi-fied for combat operations, the crews of the1042nd took up positions in Afghanistan withthree Blackhawks deployed to Kandahar Airfieldand another three to Bagram Air Base, whilepersonnel operated two Blackhawks out ofCamp Doha in Kuwait and two more fromPrince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

In nearly a year of operations in Afghanistan,the 1042nd undertook more than 90 missions totransport more than 130 patients thatcomprised both coalition personnel as well aslocal civilians. As the unit’s commander Maj.Dave Strayer explained:

“With the Guard bearing the brunt inAfghanistan of evacuating military and civiliansin need, the first thing that comes to mind wasthe exceptional teamwork between the Guardand active-duty components. Escort was alwaysprovided by AH-64 Apaches and we wereworried about the [length of] time the Apachesneeded to get off the ground [to get theirweapon systems spool up and aligned]. Their

Opposite page and this page: The ‘Coyotes’ of the1042nd were the first to operate the Blackhawk ‘Lima’model with its improved engines and transmission. Theextra output from its powerplants makes the UH-60Lmore suitable for high-altitude work.

(SFODA). In Kuwait, the team flew the majorityof missions during this deployment,undertakingmore than 200 itself and attending to 280patients as Operation Desert Spring (ODS) andOperation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) unfolded ontheir ‘watch’. In Saudi Arabia, the team flewforce protection missions, keeping its heli-copters 100 percent fully mission capable’throughout the deployment.

At the time however, the unit’s activities werenot confined to Afghanistan, Kuwait and SaudiArabia.A team from the 1042nd equipped withtwo Blackhawks took part in scores of airborneoperations, flying around-the-clock Medevactraining missions for units at Fort Bragg, FortStewart, Fort Cambell, Fort Knox,EglinAir ForceBase and Ranger Camp in Dahlonaga, Georgia.

On 25 April 2003, the first troops and thee

helicopters belonging to the 1042nd MedicalCompany (Air Ambulance) returned from asuccessful tour of duty in support of OEF, ODSand OIF. That same month, the Army AviationAssociation ofAmerica named it ‘National GuardAviation Unit of the Year’ for 2002; an honourrichly deserved in light of the ‘Coyotes’ record ofmaintaining their aircraft at close to 97 percentservicability and flying more than 2,500 acci-dent/incident-free flight-hours. In addition, theunit had maintained a 98 percent servicabilityrate for its ground vehicles. Official demobiliza-tion took place on 12 July in a ceremony offi-cially recognising the unit’s achievements.Immediately thereafter it was returned toOregon state control.

Two years later the Coyotes were again calledto duty in Afghanistan, undertaking a six-monthrotation in support of OEF. The primary missionwas medical evacuation and transportation ofinjured coalition forces. The mobilization cere-

mony was held on 19 July 2005 at the ArmyAviation Flight Facility. Shortly thereafter, sixflight medics headed to Fort Sam Houston inTexas for specialized training. Led by then unitcommander,Maj.MarkA.Ulvin, the remaining 29members left on 25 July for Fort Sill in Oklahomato undertake their training. Fourteen personnelferried the four Blackhawks to the facility andthe rest of the group made its way there usingcommercial carriers.

In early September, the 35-strong contingentset up base at Bagram Air Base, following two30-hour airlifts from Fort Sill.Equipped with fourof their own helicopters and another four less-advanced UH-60As belonging to active-dutyunits already positioned at Bagram, the guards-men undertook their first rescue mission on 14September.

The composite active/Guard unit deployedtwo helicopters each to FOBs to the northeastnear Jalalabad and to the southeast in the direc-tion of Khowst (better known as ‘Salerno’). Bothareas are ‘hotbeds’ of militant activity. Theremaining helicopters were kept at Bagram in abattle-scarred, concrete hangar originally builtby the Russians.

On 18 September 2005, parliamentary elec-tions were held in Afghanistan.Anti-government

attacks that day caused the ‘Coyotes’ to fly theirfirst mass-casualty evacuation of the tour.Escorted by an active-duty ‘slick’ Blackhawk(with door armament but no red crosses) andtwo Apache gunships, medics operating fromtheir FOB at Jalalabad were called to evacuatesixAfghan soldiers wounded during a fierce fire-fight northwest of Naray. Upon arrival theydiscovered they needed to extract ninewounded soldiers plus another killed in theaction.The Medevac helicopter took three of themost critical patients aboard while the twomedics and crew chief loaded the other casual-ties onto the armed Blackhawk.All were airliftedto the US Army hospital at distant Bagram.Thatsame day the detachment at ‘Salerno’ also saw itsshare of action and launched twice. The firstmission, to pick up anAmerican soldier and twoAfghan soldiers wounded in a night-fight nearKhowst began at 2:30 AM. Three hours later, asecond morning rescue was launched to collectfour casualties, including an 11 year-old boywounded during an enemy assault on an isolatedSpecial Forces base further north, which hadbeen under fire all night.More rescues followed.

In October, the active-duty units returned toHawaii,Alaska and Germany, leaving behind theirless-powerful ‘Alfa-model’ Blackhawks for newunits to operate in the theatre.

While based at BagramAirfield near Kabul andat Jalalabad Airfield bordering Pakistan, the‘Coyotes’ logged more than 1,000 incident-freeflight-hours in some of the most challengingconditions, operating over rugged mountain anddesert terrain. Not only did the crews returnsafely from each mission,so did the many US andcoalition personnel they lifted to safety.

In Afghanistan, the unit remained on-call 24hours a day to perform mass-casualty pick-ups,improvised explosive device (IED) casualty pick-ups and patient transfers. In all, the ‘Coyotes’completed more than 290 medical evacuations,about half of which involved transportingAfghans. Many of the patients were childrenwounded by landmines. Oregon’s governor,Theodore R. Kulongoski, said the following atthe unit’s homecoming ceremony:

“You are absolutely the best that Oregon hasto give, we could not be more proud of whatyou’ve accomplished or be more grateful tohave you back home and safe”.

Special Report

Above and below: Training for both state and federalmissions is intense to ensure personnel can handle thewide array of missions, from fire-fighting and rescues atthe local level to battlefield medical evacuation underenemy fire during deployments to combat theatres likeAfghanistan.

Oregon Defenders

Oregon state senate president, PeterCourtney, also used the occasion to express hispride:

“This group of men and women not only putthemselves in harm’s way and had to leave theirloved ones, they did so to help other people in afar off place that were struggling”.

Oregon’s adjutant general, Maj. GeneralRaymond F. Rees commended the returningsoldiers for their courage and commitment toboth their mission and each other with thesewords:

“It took all of you who deployed; maintainers,pilots, engineers and medics, a total team effort;to give our troops the best care they could hopefor. Every patient you evacuated out of harm’sway and cared for will forever remember the1042nd, who with commitment and couragebraved the battle to save them”.

Deployments represent just one element ofthe work undertaken by a Guard unit such asthis. Each year, SAR operations and forest fireshave to be tackled as well, and trainingconducted with emergency first-respondersthroughout the state. Such missions fall into oneof two categories. Military Assistance to Safetyand Traffic (MAST) is the programme that seesmilitary assets used to provide support whencivil medical emergencies arise. The conceptdates back to the time when ‘ambulance avia-tors’ returned from Vietnam. In those days therewere very few commercial helicopter ambu-lance companies so the Army took on the role,which had the effect of keeping the veterans‘current’. MAST support is launched when noother airborne SAR partner is available within acritical time period or when specific equipmentis required. Only the Army and Coast Guardoperate dedicated military helicopters for civiloperations and although four or five private airambulance companies exist in Oregon, the1042nd was regularly called upon to respond inthe past.

During the ‘Big Deployment’of 2002, the facil-ity commander at Salem initiated the Military AirRescue Team (MART) mission, which is uniquewithin the Air National Guard. Whereas otherstates have medical evacuation helicopters onstand-by, ready to go out and perform rescues,Oregon is the only one to have set up a specificprogramme with SAR sheriffs in local communi-ties, in order to streamline coordination of suchmissions. The civil air ambulance companiesremain prioritised under MART but the equip-ment aboard many Blackhawks, like heavy-duty250-ft line hoists, de-icing and night-flyingsystems,means they are regularly ‘scrambled’ formore difficult rescues. In order to be preparedfor SAR missions, members of the MART Teamwithin the ORANG train year-round in moun-tainous stretches of Oregon and southwestWashington.

Of particular note, three of the 15 new-buildUH-60Ls were fitted with the AN/AAQ-22 SAFIR-II Forward-looking Infra-red (FLIR) system.Thiscame about as a result of the 304 RescueSquadron switching its mission in 2001, whichresulted in it giving up its FLIR-equipped HH-60Pavehawk’s for KC-135R Stratotankers.The bene-fits afforded by the FLIR were well recognised.In practice, the system is employed mainly insearch mode rather than as an aid to flying theway it is in the Pavehawk community, whichtypically flies at low level under cover ofdarkness.

RedesignationAs part of the Army's Transformation

programme, the ORANG re-designated the1042nd Medical Company (Air Ambulance) in aformal re-flagging ceremony at the ArmyAviation Support Facility on 6 January 2007.Charlie Company, 7-158 General SupportAviation Battalion (GSAB) was officially acti-vated at that time. While the unit retained itsaero-medical mission, reorganisation broughtwith it a number of changes including a down-sizing in the number of personnel from 140 toaround 100. The 40 servicemen shed from itsranks were primarily maintainers who werereassigned to the battalion.Whereas the unit wasentirely self-sufficient in its previous form, it is

taken at McNary Field, beginning 2 June.Typically, the exercise is constructed around thekinds of engagements the unit is likely to expe-rience during the upcoming three years. Thethree-year plan is broken down into annualsegments that allow a yearly calendar of mission-essential tasks to be formulated. This ‘buildingblock’ approach ensures aircrews, flight medics,crew chiefs, refuellers and maintenance crewsare fully mission-capable for what lies ahead.Blackhawk crew chiefs, for instance, must beable to fulfill a varied array of tasks, from main-taining the aircraft, to calculating fuel consump-tion and operating the hoist when a medic hasto be lowered to reach a patient.

For such training, the battalion commanderlays down the overall requirements and the unitcommander organises the scenarios to beaddressed.These are based on the unit’s level ofprogress and next-step training objectives.Evaluations are made throughout this training

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An Army-wide reduction in ‘Lima-model’ unit strength,from 15 to 12 helicopters, has resulted in the ‘Coyotes’giving up three of their Medevac helicopters.

now part of a larger organisation and has lost itsaviation maintenance platoon. Before thechange, the unit was itself a ‘mini battalion’’having a flight platoon, aviation maintenanceplatoon and headquarters platoon. Like theother aviation companies falling under the 641Medical Battalion, the unit now receives supportfrom the higher-level battalion,which effectivelyruns the aviation maintenance elements.A change of command for the unit was alsorecognised at the ceremony, with Maj. David A.Strayer assuming command of the aviationcompany from Maj. Mark A. Ulvin who becamefacility commander at McNary Field.

Annual trainingUSArmy standards mandate that pilots and co-

pilots maintain 48 hours of flight time every sixmonths. For a crew chief and flight-medic therequirement is 12 hours over the same period. Inaddition, all soldiers are required to attend two-weeks of annual training that can either take theform of a Field Training Exercise (FTX) or train-ing hosted at their home base.

In 2007, the unit’s annual training was under-

period and the overall plan is divided into ‘red’,‘amber’ and ‘green’ cycles. Red concentrates onadministration and personnel issues. Amberdeals with logistics set-up whereas Green isorganised around scenarios that involve launch-ing aircraft and response to simulated incidents.The main objective for the unit in 2007 was toensure 12 full crews, comprising two pilots, onecrew chief and one flight-medic each, would befully ‘up to speed’ by the end of that year, withthe emphasis on fire-fighting skills.

Aside from unit-organised training cycles theOregon Regional Training Institute (RTI) alsoplays an important role. This is located at theWestern Oregon University campus inMonmouth, Oregon, and has the distinction ofoffering the only Army-approved maintenancecourse covering the high-performance rescuehoist fitted to most Medevac aircraft. After theORANG was assigned its new medical evacua-tion mission in 1995, the need for a qualifiedrescue-hoist maintenance programme becameparamount. The RTI teaches a curriculumendorsed by Army Aviation and MissileCommand as well as the Army MedicalDepartment. Since the first course wasconducted in 2000, the school has graduatedhundreds of students; some from as far away asKorea, Central America and Germany. USAF,Coast Guard, Marine Corps and civilian rescueteams also come for seven days of unit-level andintermediate-level maintenance training thatencompasses complete disassembly andreassembly of a working hoist.

Fire-fightingWildfires are common occurrences in

Oregon, particularly during the dry summer andautumn/fall. Forest brush and dead woodprovide ample fuel should a lightning strike orhuman negligence spark a fire. It is estimatedthat as many as 240,000 homes are at risk to fireswithin the state. With around 1,100 reportedannually within the 16 million acres of private

and public land that come under the protectionof the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), itcomes as no surprise that Oregon attaches ahigh level of importance to the availability offire-fighting helicopters. The state’s OPLANSMOKEY lays out in considerable detail how fireevents are to be tackled; from the qualificationsaircrews must hold to personnel logistics, equip-ment needs and ground support levels neces-sary for specific events once a ‘helibase’ hasbeen established within the area of the fire.

Officially, the wildfire season begins on 1 Juneand runs through 1 November,during which theORANG maintains a high number of soldiers onactive duty in support of fire-fighting operationsto work alongside other units, the Bureau ofLand Management, the US Forestry Service, theBureau of IndianAffairs, the ODF and other stateand federal agencies. The ORANG keeps its

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Left: Whether at home or ondeployment Guard unitslike ‘Charlie’ Company arekept busy. The unit typicallyflies between 2,500 and3,500 hours per year anddepending on requirementsthe policy is to support fourflights daily in addition toMAST and MART missions.In May and June, the focusof the unit’s training shiftsto fire-fighting, to ensurethe necessary skills arehoned for the upcoming fireseason. For aircrews, this isusually accomplished withone or two hours ofpracticing emergencyprocedures and drops.

Below: The Bambi bucketis slung beneath theBlackhawk. The rate atwhich the water isreleased over a fire zonecan becontrolled from thehelicopter by any one of thecrewmen.

aircraft at one of two readiness levels, RL1 orRL2, during this period.These levels reflect theliklihood the Guard’s services will be calledupon should commercial operators contractedby the state be unable to fully meet the chal-lenge. ORANG helicopters are used for just thedaytime VFR operations for which crews havebeen trained and for which the aircraft are prop-erly equipped.The missions vary from transport-ing personnel and cargo (C-12, C-23, OH-58, UH-60L, CH-47D), to reconnaissance (OH-58, UH-60L), water/retardant delivery (CH-47D, UH-60L,UH-60 Firehawk), SAR (OH-58,UH-60L,CH-47D),Medevac (UH-60L, CH-47D), command andcontrol (OH-58, UH-60L) and other tasksapproved by the state aviation officer. As indi-cated, however, for its fire-fighting supportOregon relies first on commercial aviationcompanies like Evergreen Aviation and Erickson

Oregon Defenders

Skycrane, which bear the brunt of the work inthe Pacific Northwest.

Each Guard aircraft has its own Fire SupportPackage (FSP) that essentially comprises anaircrew, ground crew and mission equipment.The default status is RL2 but this is raised to RL1when the chance of fires is high or when severalfires are already underway. RL1 can be triggeredalso when significant thunderstorm activity isforecasted and the threat of lightning strikes ishigh. However, a series of events is necessary inorder for RL1 to be declared.The state governormust first sign an executive order, whichthereby authorises the ODF and StateEmergency Management Office to make arequest through the Emergency OperationsCentre (EOC) for one or more aircraft. Thishappens only after all civilian-contracted andcall-when-needed assets have been committed.Furthermore, training for the mission at handmust have been completed. Accordingly, unitcommanders review OPLAN SMOKEY ahead ofthe start of the wildfire season and identifycrews needing the necessary training. The USForestry Service may even conduct check-rides.Thereafter, a list of trained and authorisedaircrews is sent to the State Army AviationOfficer (SAAO), ODF, US Forestry Service andMilitary Support to Civil Authorities (MSCA).Meanwhile, at least one aircraft of each typemust be configured with the required radios andwater buckets, and vehicles and other missionequipment must be serviceable.

After the ‘Declaration of Emergency’ has beenissued,Oregon’sAviationTask Force Commander(AFTC) receives the Wildfire Mission Order call-ing for the helicopters and their support person-nel and equipment to deploy to the designatedlocation.Aircraft remain under the control of theATFC until their arrival. On scene, the aircrewsare met by their support and refuelling person-nel along with aviation mechanics from the unitresponsible for getting the ‘support package’ in

place. The Air Mission Commander (AMC) willreport to the ATFC when all personnel andequipment are in place and the Air OperationsBranch Director (AOBD), under the commandand control of the ODF/USFS incident

commander, then assigns the helicoptermissions.

Pre-flight briefings inform crews the part theywill play in the mission and to whom they willreport.An aviation manager oversees all ground-operations, while an air attack manager directsair operations. The latter provides coordinatesfor ‘dip sites’ from which crews are to fill theirwater buckets, and drop sites where the water isto be dumped.The helicopters shuttle back andforth between their assigned dip and drop sitesuntil directed to go to a new location, or untilthey need to refuel. Normal operations start inthe early morning and continue until 8 pm.Since flight operations take place only duringthe day, aerial fire-fighting efforts have to ceasebefore nightfall. Most aircrew work a ‘six-on,one-off’ rotation until directed to go elsewhereor report back to their home base.This typicallyhappens after two weeks although all crews onrotation must be in constant readiness through-out the entire fire season. This was wellillustrated in 2006 when the 1042 MedicalCompany and Detachment 1, Delta Company,113th Aviation spent 48 consecutive days in thefield after Oregon’s governor declared a state of

The Guard is reimbursed for its fire-fighting services bythe Oregon Department of Forestry. This is based on thenumber of aircraft hours flown plus an hourly rate forthe use of water buckets and a daily rate for the use ofground equipment. The Guard is also paid for thenumber of personnel involved an operation, both in thefield and at the aviation support facility. The forestrydepartment classifies the UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47Chinook as Type-1 aircraft, which recognises thesehelicopters are capable of carrying and delivering morethan 700 US gal (2650 lit) of water.

to refuel the helicopter, and its operating costs.Using its snorkel, the Firehawk can take on a fullwater load in about a minute. However, whenflying over mountainous terrain at a typical 30-minute range approximately 800 US gal (3028lit) are usually carried. It is essential that pilotskeep a constant eye on the Turbine GasTemperature (TGT) during lifting operations asone powerplant typically runs hotter than theother. Crews stop pumping water in the eventtheTGT reaches 850° F (454° C) in one or otherengine; a precaution has allowed Oregon’sFirehawk to continue flying with the originalengines.

All UH-60L Blackhawks can carry the Bambibucket attached to the external load hook.Whilethis is a simple and effective way to tackle forestfires, in this configuration the helicopters arenot allowed to fly over buildings nor can theycarry passengers. As the load is under-slung,speed limitations must be adhered to as well,and use of the bucket necessitates a deep-watersource capable of allowing the entire bucket tobe submerged.The Firehawk brings several obvi-ous advantages over the bucket system in that itssnorkel system employs a powerful pump to

rapidly suck up water that can be drawn from ashallow water source.The belly-tank system alsoallows the Firehawk to make its initial ‘attack’onthe fire at maximum airspeed. However, theapproach is normally made at around 120 ktwith a full water load (100 kt if the snorkel isdown).The nature of the fire, temperature,windconditions and terrain influence the nature ofthe ‘attack’ employed.The pilot determines theangle and airspeed at which the fire is to beapproached as well as the setting of the hydrauli-cally actuated tank doors that will bring aboutthe most effective drop rate. Often, the emer-gency water jettison switch is used to release all800-1,000 gal in a couple of seconds. Thismaximises the density of water molecules in theair and starves the fire of oxygen.

War on drugsIn 1989, the US Congress mandated the ANG

would become a ‘player’ in the fight against ille-gal drugs, and would aid federal, state and locallaw enforcement agencies in this endeavour. In1992, the Army National Guard Bureauresponded by creating Reconnaissance andAerial Interdiction Detachments (RAID), initially

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emergency on July 21, which led to the longestsingle mission ever.

FirehawkThe General Support Aviation Battalion at

McNary Field currently has two standard 700-USgal (2650-lit) Bambi buckets plus anotherequipped with a power-fill. Additionally, thebattalion operates the unique UH-60L Firehawk,first tested by the Army at Ft. Eustis,Virginia, andalso by the Los Angeles County Fire Departmentwhich had the aircraft on loan from theORANG. Through a cooperative agreementbetween Sikorsky, Aero Union and the ORANG,one UH-60L Blackhawk was returned to Sikorskyfor the company andAero Union to develop andtest a belly-tank and snorkel system, to transformthe helicopter into an even more effective fire-fighting tool.

Modifications included adding spacers toextend the main landing gear, adding one 1,000-gal (3,785-lit) removable belly-tank plus fourbelly-tank and four landing-gear attachment lugs,new steps for the crew, and electrical wiring forthe dedicated cockpit control panel and civil-band radios.The tank has two hydraulically actu-ated doors which open at a rate selected by thepilot and an emergency release allows the crewto jettison the entire load within two seconds.The tank has its own computer to manageweight- balance and the entire system uses inter-nal hydraulic systems that run off power bledfrom the helicopter’s electrical generators; twoof three of which are in operation at all times.After finalising the evaluation of the prototypein the autumn/fall of 1998, the aircraft was deliv-ered back to the ORANG for operational use.Two pilots attended a three-hour qualificationcourse at Fort Eustis undertaken by the testpilots involved in developing the system. Thiscovered operation of the new variant and itsemergency procedures. However valuable suchinstruction is, it remains true that ninety-fivepercent of the learning process is acquired onthe job.

Training typically is conducted at specificlakes and ponds in the Silver Creek Falls trainingarea in the nearby hills, some 3,000-4,000 ft(900-1200 m) above sea level. This altitude isrepresentative of that at which the Firehawktypically fights fires. Unlike the Blackhawk, theFirehawk requires a crew of three instead of twofor its mission and while the pilot, co-pilot andcrew chief are authorised to make water dropsor jettison the water load in case of an emer-gency, the crewchief is responsible for safe-guarding the snorkel. He must prevent it fromnutating (dancing in the air) during flight,whichcan damage both the system and the aircraft.Furthermore, when it is in use he must monitorthe entire process. If the snorkel should getensnared in the water, it is his job to cut it looseand thereby free the helicopter.

A fire-fighting helicopter’s effectiveness canbe measured in terms of the volume of water orfoam it can deliver, its delivery accuracy, itsspeed to and from the drop zone, the time taken

Caption needed

Oregon Defenders

establishing special aviation units in 31 statesequipped with 76 specially modified OH-58AKiowas. These helicopters assumed the recon-naissance and interdiction role, flying many oftheir missions at night.The Counter Drug RAIDProgram’s success led to its expansion to 37states and territories by 2006, by which time125 OH-58A+ Kiowas were supporting theeffort. In addition, a dedicated training unit attheWesternArmyAviationTraining Site (WAATS)in Marana,Arizona, was established.

Also known as Counter Drug Army AviationDetachments, not every state has a RAID unitbut today the National Guard Counter DrugProgram operates in all states and territoriesproviding the mandated support. It is very mucha total-force approach with the civil communityworking in partnership with the Guard.Close to2,500 soldiers and airmen are involved in a vari-ety of missions that support three core signatureprogrammes: ‘Drug Demand Reduction’,‘Decision Superiority’ and ‘CombatantCommanders’.Among the missions filled by thefull-time pilots and mechanics assigned are AreaSurveillance and Reconnaissance, Tracking ofSuspect Vehicles/Vessels, RAID Sweeps andClandestine Airfields.

To support these missions effectively, theKiowas were modified with either the olderFLIR- (Forward Looking Infra-Red) 2000 with aday-and-night 120º off-the-nose capability, or themore modern stabilised FLIR-7500,which brings360º day, low-light TV, daytime camera and FLIRcapabilities.These images are normally recordedaboard the helicopter and when required can berelayed in real time to a mobile ground stationand beyond. By law, on each mission a law-enforcement agent must be present. He bringsaboard the blank recording media, places itinside the recording device, records the flightimagery and removes and maintains custody ofthe evidence after the mission.The Kiowas havealso been fitted with a 30-million candlepowerS/X-16 NITE-SUN searchlight, night-visionsystem capabilities, high skid gear, GPS, LORANand Global Wulfsberg radio with secure voiceencrypting P-25 trunking capability.

In Oregon, the Guard has been supporting thestate’s marijuana eradication efforts since 1979but today’s Oregon National Guard CounterDrug Support Program (ORCDSP) began in1987.The 1989 National Defense AuthorizationAct formally recognised its effectiveness andcongress authorised the defence secretary toprovide funding to the state to expand theGuard’s role.This was in addition to the normalfunding provided for the Guard to train for itsnormal federal missions. Oregon's earliestsupport involved military intelligence analystpersonnel assigned to work with law-enforce-ment officials in their anti-drug efforts. For this,the ORANG provided ‘mission response teams’equipped with high-tech military assets thatincluded night-vision devices, thermal infra-redsensing equipment and FLIR-equipped heli-copters fitted with state of the art communica-tions equipment. Operating two Kiowas fromMcNary Airfield initially (subsequently four), it

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Left and below: caption needed

brought Oregon law enforcement access toaerial reconnaissance and photographicsupport.

However, as part of the Army’s aviation trans-formation programme, the ANG began restruc-turing its counter-drug RAID detachments andexpanding their role to support HomelandSecurity and Homeland Defense operations. Sixof these Aviation Security & Support (S&S)battalions were officially activated on 1 October2005, positioned at bases within states fromwhich they could readily respond. Each S&Sbattalion essentially draws together the ANG’scounter-drug expertise and its RAID experience,and additional missions now include counter-terrorism, search operations, command andcontrol, additional reconnaissance and securitytasks, even casualty evacuation when required.Thus, the units are now involved in the ‘war onterror’ and are assisting with border patrol.Thebatallions act as a quick reaction force, integrat-

ing their efforts with civil authorities.As a consequence, Oregon’s counter-drug

RAID unit was transformed in October 2006, tobecome Detachment 1,C Company,1st Battalion112thAviation.However,the Counter DrugArmyAviation Detachment remains, having its ownchain of command and it continues to receive itsown funding. Its pilots are separate from the S&Sunit but essentially both share the same fourhelicopters and maintenance personnel.

The states of Washington, Oregon, California,Hawaii, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginiaare those experiencing the highest levels ofdrug trafficking. Fourth highest on the list isOregon, which is used primarily as a transitpoint although Mexican cartels are activelygrowing significant quantities of marihuanawithin the state, as well. Consequently, the statehas increased the number of helicopterssupporting its anti-drug efforts.Marihuana eradi-cation missions take place each year from June

S&S detachment was formed, some 90 percentof the RAID unit’s time was spent on actualcounter-drug missions and the remaining tenpercent was spent on training. Since creation ofthe new unit, counter-drug missions have beenaccounting for 70 percent of flying time, withten percent going to S&S missions and 20percent to training.The increase in the latter isdirectly attributable to the additional missionsbeing flown and to the increased number ofaircrews assigned to the S&S detachment.

The ARNG’s four Generating Force AirAmbulance companies further complement theHomeland Defense and civil support capabilitiesof the six S&S battalions, and in 2009 the ArmyNational Guard will start replacing its OH-58swith new-build UH-72A Lakotas,assigning 144 ofthe aircraft to units in 41 states and territories.The Oregon unit is expected to trade in its fourKiowas for the Lakota in 2013 or 2014.While itsprimary and secondary missions are to supportlaw enforcement agencies throughout the statein the counter-drug role and in homelanddefence, respectively, the unit’s alternate missionof SAR should not be overlooked. Onboard

mission equipment like radios and FLIR make itan obvious choice,and the unit frequently worksalongside the UH-60s from the medical companywhen emergencies arise. Tasked for this on a‘24/7’ basis, typically the unit is called upon fouror five times each year to perform this MARTmission at the behest of the state aviationofficer. However, the detachment’s real successlies with its counter-drug mission.While preserv-ing the anonymity of the personnel, it is worthnoting that in 2006 alone the efforts of the threepilots assigned to the detachment were directlyrelated to one billion dollars’ worth of seizuresin the state.

PendletonIn 1941, the US Army Corps of Engineers

constructed Pendleton Field and several othermilitary bases in the Pacific Northwest, in readi-ness for probable American involvement inWorld War II. It took the Corps six months toexpand Pendleton’s municipal airport andconstruct new runways, hangars and otherbuildings to serve the 2,500 personnel that ulti-mately would be stationed there.

In June 1941, the USAAF’s 17th BombardmentGroup (Medium) was transferred to Pendleton,and after the 7 December attack on Pearl Harborit began flying anti-submarine patrols to protectshipping lanes along the coasts of Oregon andWashington. Nine Japanese submarines wereoperating off the West Coast by late that year,making attacks on numerous vessels. Thesubmarines also shelled Fort Stevens nearAstoria in June 1942, the first foreign attack onthe continental United States since the war of

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through October with the mission equipmentnormally removed from the helicopters becausethe operating altitude (700-800 ft / 213-244 m)above the mountainous terrain), temperatureand high winds push the Kiowa closer to itsmaximum gross weight than any other type inthe inventory.Furthermore, the mission does notrequire any special equipment, as the lawenforcement agent on board is the authorisedspotter handling aerial reconnaissance from theleft-hand seat. If a second spotter is on board,they are seated behind on the right-hand side.

Led by ORCDSP’s state counter-drug coordi-nator, the helicopter unit has three full-timepilots assigned. Collectively, they are budgetedfor 750 hours flying time each year although theactual number of flight-hours has averaged1,300-1,500 in recent times; the additional hoursbeing funded primarily by maintenance depotsaround the country. Although the unit is neverpresent for an actual drug bust because by lawthe helicopters are not allowed to land in harm’sway and risk coming under fire, many of thearrests and seizures would not have been possi-ble without the surveillance,detection and coor-dination orchestrated from the Kiowas. Shouldadditional help be needed, the ORCDSP can callfor assistance from Air Force C-26s to conducthigh-altitude photo-mapping missions, forinstance.

Helicopter support can be requested by anylaw enforcement agency within Oregon. If themission is drug-related then there is no cost tothe requesting agency. For other missions, likeSAR, reimbursement must be made. Before the

Above: When OH-58 crews assumed Homeland Securityand Homeland Defense missions, training coveringflying and legal issues was first provided by instructorsfrom the local Counter Drug Army Aviation Detachment,pending establishment of a formal S&S syllabus.

Below: Today, each S&S is a self-supporting in terms ofhandling its own helicopter maintenance up to depotlevel.

1812, and also launched an incendiary attacknear Bandon in September 1942.

Members of Pendleton’s 17th BG participatedin one of the most famous missions ofWorldWarII, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Conducted inApril 1942 in response to the attack on PearlHarbor, the raid represented the first bombard-ment of Japan by American forces. Lt. Col. JamesDoolittle earned the Congressional Medal ofHonor for leading the attack and the crewmen,five of whom were Oregonians, received theDistinguished Flying Cross. After the 17th BGwas transferred to South Carolina in February1942, Pendleton served as a training post forfighter and bomber pilots. Other bombardmentgroups (heavy) temporarily based or passingthrough Pendleton were the 34th, 94th, 95th,99th, 100th, 303rd and 452nd flying B-17 FlyingFortress training missions in preparation forduties overseas.Another well-known unit basedat Pendleton for awhile was the 555th ParachuteInfantry Battalion, an all-negro unit. It arrived on12 May 1945, assigned to Headquarters NinthService Command, Fort Douglas, Utah.

When the war ended in August 1945 the fieldreverted to civilian control and is known todayas Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. More than40 years later, Pendleton was again home to

57

1/168 Aviation, returning to the WashingtonARNG once more.

The switch to a heavy-lift unit, with theprimary mission of moving materiel and person-nel to forward operating lines, took effect withtransition training in 1994.The unit started send-ing pilots either to Fort Rucker in Alabama, orFort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania where theARNG’s Eastern Army Aviation Training Site(EAATS) is located. The first two crewmen totransition were CW4 DouglasWalker (now a testpilot at Pendleton) and Col.Todd Farmer (stateaviation officer). By 1996, the full complementof Chinooks was up and running and the follow-ing year the last two UH-1 Hueys left Pendletonby road, headed to Salem.

The unit was first located in the old WWIIbuildings close to the airport terminal, butsubsequently moved to the other end of theairfield when the new Army Aviation SupportFacility was completed. The last four Chinooksalso arrived in 1997. The facilities are verymodern and took just one year to complete.Thehangar has enough space for three Chinookswith their blades fitted, or five with their bladesremoved.Typically, five of the helicopters sit onthe ramp and three are parked inside the hangarbut during 2007 the unit was operating with just

are tasked with fire-fighting during the fireseason, which increases overall flight-hours.Furthermore, of the 700 hours allocated forFY07, another 80 were spent supporting theReserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) courseat Fort Lewis,Washington.This support missiontook place during the middle of the year toprovide commissioned-officers-in-training withexperience of air assaults.The cost of these andthe flight-hours spent fighting fires is reim-bursed over and above the regular budget, andhelps explain why the unit flies substantiallymore flight-hours than called for by theprogramme.

Chinooks at WarThe first Pendleton unit to go to war was

Detachment 2, Lima Company, 151 AviationMaintenance Company. Fourteen maintenancepersonnel deployed for Operation IraqiFreedom 2 after mobilising in December 2004.The unit headed to Fort Knox in Kentucky formobilisation training the following month,joined by personnel from Montana, SouthCarolina,Texas, Ohio and Iowa. From there thesoldiers first forward-deployed to Kuwait andthen to Balad South-East Air Base in Iraq [alsoknown as Logistical Support Area (LSA)

Above: caption needed

Below: The latest patch worn by the Chinook-equipped‘Dust Devils’.

certain army aviation assets when, in 1989, a six-ship UH-1 Huey detachment arrived from Salem.This geneneral support unit was designatedDetachment 1, Bravo Company, 1/108 Aviation.

In 1996 the unit was re-designatedDetachment 1, Echo Company, 168th Aviationwhen it became a heavy-lift helicopter unitflying eight CH-47D Chinooks. Five of the heli-copters came from the active-duty componentat Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the other threefrom the CaliforniaARNG following the breakupof a company into detachments. The unit waslater known as Detachment 1, Delta Company,113th Aviation with the Nevada ARNG andreceived the moniker ‘Dust Devils’. InSeptember 2006, it was transformed yet againand became Detachment 1, Bravo Company,

five examples. Three were deployed and onewas undergoing a rebuild at Corpus Christi inTexas.The latter came from the California ARNGand scored so low on its maintenance inspec-tions it had to be rebuilt.The aircraft had to bestripped down so the airframe could be thor-oughly inspected.The aircraft also received newwiring, new structural aluminum sections and arepaint before rejoining the unit about a yearlater.

In FY07 (October 2006 to September 2007),the unit was allocated 700 flight-hours across allfour airframes, a relatively low number. Moreusual would be 800-900 but the unit alwaysexceeds it budgeted programme and, in anyevent, flies around 1,000 hours. Like other armyaviation assets in the state,Pendleton’s Chinooks

Anaconda], arriving on 29 February 2005 andfalling under the 1-142nd AVIM Battalion fromNew York, the 185th Aviation Group fromMississippi and 3rd Corps.

This particular deployment did not involvethe unit’s helicopters, as its personnel weretasked only with maintenance support for eachtype of rotary-wing aircraft in theatre, includingthe UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook, OH-58Warrior andAH-64Apache.During its time at thebase the detachment retrieved and repairedthree battle-damaged UH-60s and completedmore than 20,000 work orders in all, despatch-ing repair teams out to Mosul, Babylon, Baghdadand Talil to assist other detachments. The onlyunit personnel to actually fly in Iraq were themaintenance test pilots who supported otherunits in theater like Golf Company 185 and theMississippi and Michigan ARNG. In earlyFebruary 2006, the unit returned to Ft. Bragg,and then to Pendleton on 24 February.

The first deployment involving Oregon’sChinooks resulted in Detachment 1, DeltaCompany, 113th Aviation Battalion receiving

mobilisation orders on 3 January 2005 atPendleton’s AASF 2. Capt. David Doran, thedetachment’s commander, was instructed totake 92 personnel and the CH-47s for a year-longdeployment to Afghanistan in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.

When Delta Company was put on alert back

Arriving at Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airporton 25 February, the Pendleton contingent wasjoined by the Nevada ARNG contingent; some125 guardsmen assigned to the 113thAviation inReno.Here they trained together for another sixweeks. The entire deployment included 226Guardsmen from these two states plusWashington, along with 12 CH-47D heavy-lifters.The following day, mechanics began disassem-bling the Chinooks for transportation toAfghanistan.

‘B kits’,comprising the computer and antennaelements, were installed into Chinooks whenthey reached Afghanistan, and personnel withinthe task force underwent additional trainingfrom on-site contractors. They were alsoequipped with a TOC ground station to aid inmission planning and monitoring. In theabsence of AWACS, Blue Force Tracking-Aviationallows the commander to know where hisaircraft are and provides another way over-the-horizon communications can be maintained. Forself-defense, the Chinooks were equipped withan AN/APR-39(v)1 radar warning receiver,AN/ARR-47 passive missile warning system andAN/ALQ-156 missile approach sensor.

The unit reached Kandahar in March 2005and refuelers soon moved on to forward operat-ing bases (FOB).Within three weeks of touchingdown in Afghanistan, ‘Mustang’ Companyreplaced Georgia and Alabama Guard elementswithin ‘Task Force Storm’, and thereby assumedall of the heavy-lift operations necessary tosustain FOBs throughout southern and westernAfghanistan, ahead of schedule. The task forcealso included 16 Blackhawk utility and Medevachelicopters, plus ten AH-64 Apache gunshipsfrom the active-duty 12th Aviation Brigade,based in Germany.Arrival of the ‘Mustangs’ coin-cided with a US-led coalition spring offensiveaimed at weakening the Taliban and Al-Qaedainsurgency.

The fast pace with which the ‘Mustangs’assumed their mission set the tone for the rest ofthe deployment, continuing to operate at a hightempo.As part of the quick reaction force theywere on-call 24 hours a day to perform a widerange of aviation missions covering standard re-supply, downed aircraft recovery, forward-areare-fuelling and casualty evacuation. DeltaCompany’s most dangerous duty was serving asthe primary air assault platform for the 173rdAirborne, and 3rd and 7th Special ForcesGroups. The Chinook crews undertook morethan 100 missions inserting combat troopsdirectly into battle, the most notable being thoseon 21 June as part of ‘Operation Catania’. Morethan 150 of the enemy were killed and manycaptured during the operation which, at thetime, represented the largest single engagementof OEF. The ‘Mustangs’ rapidly moved troopsacross the battlefield and four of the helicopterssustained battle damage from enemy fire, forcingtwo to crash land. However, all four were recov-ered and repaired within 24 hours. InAugust andSeptember, the unit played an integral role inshaping operations leading up to Afghanistan’snational parliamentary elections held on 18September. The 113th supplied six missioncrews each day to ensure conditions weresecure for the elections.

By mid-September, half of the unit’s Chinookshad sustained enemy fire serving on the battle-field while providing an indespensible linkbetween the soldiers closing in to destroy the

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Within the group deploying to Afghanistan in 2005, onlythe Nevada contingent was familiar with dismantlingChinooks for such a trip. Assistance was provided bythe 160th Aviation Batallion from Savannah, Georgia.As one C-17 Globemaster III can accommodate a singleChinook plus its crew and support personnel, 13 ofthe transporters were needed to complete the task.

Below: caption needed... left example worn during the deployment?

in June 2004, the ‘Dust Devils’ unit was splitbetween the Nevada and Oregon ARNG. Usingthe call-sign ‘Mustang’, both elements begantraining for the mission together, focusing inparticular on operating in sandy and dustyconditions similar to those they wouldencounter in Afghanistan, and practising ridgeand pinnacle operations. Of particular impor-tance was honing power management skills. Bylate February 2005, they were fully trained andready for the deployment. Before leaving,however, the Chinooks were fitted with morepowerful engines, M-130 chaff/flare dispensersand pre-wired to receive the Blue Force Tracker(BFT) system. This technology enhances battlecommand, improves over-the-horizon communi-cations, and assists with airspace de-confliction.It proved its worth in the vast expanses ofAfghanistan, assisting the commander in termsof situational awareness and command andcontrol. All deployed aircraft were equippedwith the mounting and wiring (‘A kits’) andoperations personnel, along with crew chiefs,received initial training on the system.

Oregon Defenders

enemy, and troops and materiel furhter back.Onthe ever-changing battlefield, the Chinooksstayed busy inserting infantry troops and SpecialForces into positions that allowed the coalitionto maximise its tactical advantage. Needless tosay, this made the Chinook vulnerable to ground-fire. On 25 September, worst fears were realisedwhen ‘Mustang 22’ was shot down during aninfiltration mission approximately five miles (8km) north of Deh Chopan in southeast ZabulProvince. An enemy rocket-propelled grenadehit the lead Chinook after it had deliveredAfghan troops into the designated landing zone.The helicopter was engulfed in flames andcrashed.All five crewmen aboard lost their lives,two of whom,were Oregon guardsmen.The unithad little chance to pause and grieve however,asits services remained in high demand.

Shortly thereafter,a devastating 7.6 magnitudeearthquake hit the northern part of Pakistan on8 October. The unit was tasked yet anothermission, to provide humanitarian aid.Two of itsChinooks deployed to Pakistan where the crewsmoved more than 750,000 lb (340,000 kg) ofrelief supplies, evacuated more than 750 casual-ties and transported 650 aid workers into thearea. To be sure the helicopters were clearlyidentified for this mission, both had super-sizedAmerican flags painted on their fuel tanks,some-thing they proudly carry to this day. Meanwhilein Afghanistan, the unit continued to executedangerous combat missions and on 4 Decemberalmost lost a second crew. Although the CH-47was completely destroyed, the crew escapedwith minor injuries and was soon recovered.

When the citizen soldiers of Detachment 1returned home on 17 March 2006, they couldlook back with honor and pride at what hadbeen a long and difficult year.The unit paid theultimate price with the loss of two of its own,nevertheless it had proved to be one of the mosteffective and versatile companies within theArmy’s total force structure. Logging 6,500flight-hours over challenging terrain, it flewmore than 450 combat service support missionsand moved more than 45,000 troops and somefive thousand tons of materiel.The unit carriedsoldiers into direct contact with the enemy,flying more than 100 deliberate operations.

Before life at Pendleton could return tonormal for Detachment 1, the four Chinooksused so extensively in Afghanistan and Pakistanwere taken to Ft. Campbell on their return toundergo what is referred to the the AviationReset Program.This involved a full inspection ofthe aircraft, plus repairs and cleaning beforethey were returned to Pendleton in mission-capable condition. Thereafter, the tempo athome quickly returned to normal. The detach-ment pursued its state missions of SAR and fire-fighting, participated in various exercises,continued training flight-crews, and supportedmissions inside and outside the state. As early asNovember 2006, for example, Detachment 1flew two of it Chinooks to Camp Wainwright inAlberta, Canada, to help prepare the ‘PrincessPatricia’ Light Infantry Brigade for its upcoming

deployment in Afghanistan. The unit’s recentexperience in that theatre proved extremelyuseful to the Canadians particularly as theywould be relying on Chinook support once theywere on the ground. Further afield, for the coali-tion training exercise Operation Bright Star heldin Egypt in late 2007, two Chinooks wereairlifted from Pendleton via C-17s.This deliverymethod meant the assets were not out of servicefor a long period as would have been the casewith a sea voyage.

Although rescue is not the unit’s primarymission, the Chinooks at Pendleton have offeredsterling service in several such missions. Oneinvolved rescuing a climber injured at 13,000 ft(3962 m) in the mountains near Bishop,California.A medical team had already stabilizedthe victim ready for him to be hoisted into thehelicopter and flown to receive further medicalattention. Afterwards, the Chinook returned tothe spot to pluck the medical team off themountain. In December 2006 a Chinook fromPendleton was instrumental in safely retrieving

three climbers during a well-documented rescueoff Mount Hood.They were stuck on a section ofthe mountain and successful rescue had to relyon the high-altitude capabilities of the Chinook.A rescue climbing team of nine and its gear waslowered from a Chinook to the top of the moun-tain to assist the three unfortunates. ‘Lima-model’ Blackhawks would have had to makenumerous trips to achieve the same result.

Among its many out-of-state activities duringthe recent years, Detachment 1 provided airassault training for the ROTC at Ft. Lewis in2007, and supports Air Force Reserve para-jumpers from Portland AFB who come toPendleton each month to practice static-line and11,000-ft (3350-m) free fall drops. They alsoconduct water operations, releasing their boatsfrom the Chinook’s rear-loading ramp. In addi-tion, the Army Special Forces team from Ft.Lewis comes to Pendleton on a regular basis forparadrop operations, as occasionally does the75th Ranger Battalion for the same purpose andfor sling-load training.This affords the unit more

Right: caption needed

opportunity to train its younger aviators in abroad spectrum of day and night missions.

While Detachment 1 normally has 12 pilotson strength, the unit has been understaffed attimes. This number represents four full crewswho can, with proper planning, have fourChinooks airborne at the same time but it leavesno spare crew on hand. Furthermore, four of the12 pilots are instructors, two are test-pilots andanother was recently a pilot-in-training away atFt. Rucker. As with active-duty componentcrews, Guard CH-47 pilots must fly a minimumof 90 hours annually to maintain minimum profi-ciency. In addition, significant time has to bespent using goggles, and on night-time andinstrument flying. Accordingly, additional flight-training periods have to be scheduled to meetthese standards when required.

As is true for the UH-60 crews, fire training forthe CH-47 community begins in March each yearunder a state mandate, to ensure personnel arefully ‘up to speed’ when the season starts on 1June. Detachment 1 practices at the nearbyBoardman Bombing Range where a large pond isavailable for the refilling cycles.Training encom-passes use of the fire buckets, flying in civilairspace and coordinating fire-fighting activitieswith non-military personnel both in the air andon the ground.Typically, a qualified CH-47 pilotrequires just one or two training flights before a‘check ride’ whereas a new pilot usually needsfour to six hours in order to become proficientin using the 2,000-US gal (7571-lit) BambiBucket. The unit has four such buckets which,for environmental reasons, have no foam-injec-tion systems installed.The latter would mix soapinto the water prior to its release. The unitcurrently has four crewmen on strength who arequalified as pilots-in-command when bucketsare used. Others must fly as co-pilots on thismission.When a crew is assembled to fight a fire,a sizable ‘package’ in terms of men and equip-ment is also set in motion on the ground.Twofuel trucks with four drivers, and one Humveewith an operations person and three mechanicsare sent to the assigned helibase.

The ORANG added the C-23 Sherpa to itsinventory in 1990. Operated by Alpha Company,249th Theatre Aviation, Oregon’s first Sherpacrew literally got their training on the job whenthe new type was sent to Kuwait and SaudiArabia for Operation Desert Storm. Headquar-tered at McNary Field, the company has almostthree dozen personnel on strength betweenOregon, Washington, South Dakota andOklahoma. In each state two C-23s are assigned.

When the order was received for the unit todeploy to Iraq on 1 December 2004,a number ofmodifications were identified as necessary toimprove both the C-23’s survivability and itscrews’ safety and situational awareness. Some ofthese were implemented prior to the deploy-ment. Two key modifications included fittingKevlar ballistic blankets to protect the cockpitsfrom small arms fire, and countermeasures todefeat surface-to-air missiles and other threats inthe form of detectors, IR and radio-frequencyjamming devices, plus chaff and flares. Prior tomobilizing therefore, both of the ORANG’saircraft had to be swapped for aircraft with airreadiness releases in order for the ASE kit to befitted.

The detachment from Oregon comprised ninepersonnel who were joined by three detach-ments from South Dakota, Oklahoma andWashington. Following training at Fort Bliss inTexas, A Company left for Iraq and quicklysettled into the mission providing daily trans-portation for Multi-National Corps – Iraq. Oncein theatre, however, additional measures weretaken to safeguard the crew and the aircraft, asCW4 Joseph Mollahan explains:

“Due to the imminent threat of surface-to-airmissiles, small-arms and indirect fire, we had tofly in a safety zone barely off the ground, racingalong at 200 mph [322 km/h], between 100 and150 ft [31-46 m] above ground, and occasionallylower.This would leave a potential attacker verylittle time to respond the moment he heard ourSherpa coming. In Iraq the Sherpas wereconstantly in high demand, hauling essentialsranging from food, bullets and other ammuni-tion, blood, medical supplies, high-priority non-aviation parts and aviation repair parts. In addi-tion, some C-23s were supporting SpecialOperation Command; not so much due to itsSTOL capabilities as most airfields used by theSherpa in Iraq had at least 8,000 ft (2438 m) ofrunway, but due more to its rapid turnaroundtimes. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, theaircraft were flown by a crew of four. Forinstance, unlike a C-130, a Sherpa requires onlyone person on the ground for loading, fuelingand getting the aircraft back out again. TheSherpa and our crews did a tremendous job.”

Eight soldiers with Alpha, 249th Aviation

60

Training for operations in dusty ‘brown out’ conditionswas essential prior to the Chinooks deploying toAfghanistan. The ‘D’ model has served the Guard wellfor many years but the latest fielding plan calls for theservice to begin receiving the ‘glass’ cockpit ‘Foxtrot’variant at some point in the future.

New equipmentPendleton’s Chinooks are slated to receive the

same external hoist modification as the SpecialForces’ MH-47s. Fixed outside the airframe thenew arrangement provides a better SAR solutionfor getting people on and off the helicopter.Thepresent system’s drawback is that the hoist oper-ator has limited situational awareness because itmust be operated internally through a relativelysmall hatch in the aircraft’s belly. Some addi-tional aircraft survivability equipment is alsoscheduled to be fielded to provide better threatdetection and evasion capabilities that willinclude flares. When the helicopters returnedfrom their tour in Afghanistan,much of this kindof equipment was left behind to be used byreplacement aircraft heading into theatre.Emptyflare buckets in flight proved problematic afterthe Chinooks returned home. Some damage wascaused to the buckets themselves and someeven detached in flight. The BFT systems wereamong those that remained in Afghanistan, as itwas easy to install and uninstall them in-theatre.In due course, the unit expects to receive itsown supply so it can train with the system. InAfghanistan the aircraft flew with SATCOMs andthe radios and antennas were removed prior tothe return of the helicopters stateside, whichremain ‘wired’ so re-fits can be undertaken.

Within its training regimen the unit does notpractice firing either the door or ramp guns asPendleton does not have a facility to store livearmaments,nor a suitable range.The closest mili-tary reservations for such shooting practice isGown Field, 90 minutes to the southeast, andFort Lewis which is two hours away. No aerialrange is currently designated for the unit.Nearby Boardman is operated by the US Navyexclusively as an aerial bombing range.

Fixed-wing AssetsBuilt by Short Brothers as a commercial

airliner, the durable Sherpa is probably thecheapest way known of transporting 20 peopleby air. The ARNG fields 44 C-23B/B+ Sherpalight cargo aircraft in support of theater aviation,cargo, airdrop and aero-medical evacuationduring state and federal missions.The first exam-ple entered service in 1985 and to date thismulti-role utility aircraft is the only cargo type inArmy service.The aircraft serve four theatre avia-tion companies each having four detachments.These are located in different states and each isnormally equipped with two aircraft.

Oregon Defenders

Company returned home on 7 January 2006after more than a year-long deployment in Iraq.Their performance did not go unnoticed.AlphaCompany was selected as Army Aviation FixedWing Unit of the year for their outstandingefforts in theatre where it flew more than 1,400missions, amassed some 5200 flight-hours carry-ing more than 2,000 passengers and haulingmore than two thousand tons (1800 t) of cargo.This was the second such award for the ORANGas its 1042nd Medical Company (AirAmbulance)received this prestigious honour in 2002.

Army National Guard UASThe Army’s transformation plan includes

shrinking the divisional structure down tobrigade levels by reorganizing units into modu-lar, combined-arms Brigade Combat Teams(BCT). Each transformed BCT will encompasseverything it needs to be self-contained, moremobile and more effective in today’s battlefieldenvironment. For some ORANG units, thechange will be minimal; perhaps a change in itsname or relocation to a new armory location.However, the programme will create a newmission. The transformed 41st Brigade CombatTeam will consist of two infantry battalions(2-162 Infantry and 1-186 Infantry), one firebattalion (2-218 Field Artillery), the 141stBrigade Support Battalion, the new 41st BrigadeSpecial Troops Battalion and the new 1stSquadron, 82nd Cavalry Reconnaissance,Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA). Thelatter is to be highly mobile and will operateunmanned air systems (UAS). Its structure willcomprise a headquarters troop, a forwardsupport company, two motorized reconnais-sance troops and a dismounted reconnaissancetroop.

“If you’re going to win battles, you have tohave good reconnaissance,” said AdjutantGeneral Major General Raymond F. Rees ofOregon, during the activation ceremony for ATroop, 1-82 Cavalry (RSTA) in Woodburn on 7January 2006.

The Shadow tactical unmanned aircraftsystem is being fielded on an accelerated basisby both the Army’s active-duty and ARNGbrigade combat teams. This is happeningthrough a joint US Army-US Marine Corpsprocurement strategy decided upon in mid-2007that will see retirement of the Pioneer systemsand transition to the Shadow. In the footsteps oftheir sister units in Pennsylvania, Maryland andMinnesota, both Washington and Oregon will benext to receive UAS assets. The plan is for theORANG to receive four RQ-7B Shadows to bebased at Pendleton initially, until they are relo-

cated to nearby Boardman when the necessaryfacilities are completed.

Alpha CompanyAlso as part of the Army’s transformation

programme,Alpha Company, 249th Aviation wasrenamed Alpha Company, 641st AviationBattalion in 2007, and moved from McNary Fieldto the ANG base in Portland where it took overcertain facilities previously used by theAir ForceReserve's 939th Air Refueling Wing. On 13October, the ORANG officially dedicated thebase’s Hangar 375 to Brig.Gen. (Ret.) Fred M.Rosenbaum with Alpha Company, and also tookover Building 374. Its presence was furtherextended in mid-2008 when it also occupiedBuilding 355. The purpose of the move was toprepare for the entry into service of the JointCargo Aircraft (JCA), a programme that willreplace Army and Air Force C-23 Sherpas and AirForce C-130s with C-27J Spartans.Ahead of this,

both Sherpas were moved to Portland on 20August 2007. Oregon is third on the fielding listto get the new C-27Js and the unit anticipatesreceiving four examples in late 2009 or early2010.

However, the very day Alpha Company’s newhome was officially inaugurated, 14 servicemenwith Alpha 641 Theater Aviation Company weremobilised for deployement to Logistical SupportArea (LSA) Anaconda in Iraq, via Kuwait. Beingan all-volunteer force, the contingent was joinedby some 30 Guard soldiers from Oklahoma,South Dakota and Washington set to spend sixmonths flying Sherpas throughout both coun-tries in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. InIraq the unit was attached to the 12th AviationBrigade, which is the same brigade to whichDetachment 1, Delta Company, 113th Aviationand 1042nd Medical Company were attached toduring their deployments in Afghanistan.

The Sherpas were modified for their mission,receiving night-vision,upgraded communicationand survivability equipment. In the meantime,four full-time crew members and four-part timecrews remained in Oregon to undertake statemissions.Once the Spartans are operational, theARNG will have the ability to fly at higher alti-tudes and use short, austere runways making theC-27J fully operable in Afghanistan, which hasnot been the case for the Sherpa.

Detachment 47Last but not least, a single C-12U Huron is

operated from McNary Field by State FlightDetachment 47 (Operations Support AirliftCommand) and is mainly used in support of thegovernor’s office and Oregon Military District.Commanded by CW5 Marco Frye, the unit’sHuron is maintained by civilian contractorDyncorp and this particular aircraft is scheduledto be taken off charge either in Fiscal Year 2009or 2010, after which the unit will join AlphaCompany 249th Aviation in the FCA unit.

Marnix Sap/MIAS

61

Above and left: Alpha Company’s two modified C-23B+aircraft remained in Iraq after the unit’s 2007deployment ended, to be used by follow-on units. Theunit took delivery of a C-23 loaned by the PennsylvaniaGuard and operated the aircraft to fulfill its statemissions until its aircraft returned from Iraq.

caption needed