Photo By Rick Emert | A CH-47 Chinook from Company B, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Rick Emert
1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – They are the workhorses of Army aviation, and, in Iraq, CH-47 Chinooks from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade touch the lives of thousands of Soldiers in some way every single day.
Whether moving Soldiers going home on rest and recuperation leave or carrying mail and supplies for forward operating base life support, the Chinooks are a vital part of Multi-National Division-Baghdad's fleet of aircraft.
The Chinook pilots and crews from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, spend hours a day loading and unloading cargo and transporting passengers to locations throughout the Baghdad area.
The Chinooks move in teams of two and spend about half of their flight time transporting passengers and the other half transporting cargo, said Nashville, Tenn., native Capt. Ronald Reynolds, Co. B, 2-227th.
In all, the teams move about 144,000 pounds of cargo in a given night, Reynolds said.
"Hauling all that cargo weight is not easy on the pilots or the crew," said Staff Sgt. Miguel-Angel Gonzalez, of Oxnard, Calif. "The pilots have to control the aircraft with the heavy cargo, and the three guys in back have to push that heavy equipment and cargo in and out of the aircraft. I think our ability to do this every day says a lot about teamwork."
The teams can move up to 90 pallets a night, but set a personal record for the company by moving 93 pallets in one night in May.
"I think what I like most about our missions is the numbers," Reynolds said. "When we go back and look at what we have accomplished and see that the air crews have pushed 90 pallets in one day or moved a whole brigade of Soldiers in two days. That says something about our unit's camaraderie and cohesion."
The crews played a big part in moving Soldiers during the buildup of troops in Baghdad in June.
"With the surge, we were going in and out of (Baghdad International Airport) every hour some nights, transporting Soldiers to (various forward operating bases)," Gonzalez said.
Although the Chinook crews see a lot of Baghdad in their nightly missions, they don't see a lot of activity.
"Usually, a curfew is being imposed while we fly," Reynolds said. "Every few blocks we can see police vehicles with flashing lights. It looks to me like the people of Baghdad like to keep a nice place."
Still, the crews come under fire from insurgents on the ground occasionally.
"We hear gunfire, and sometimes people shoot toward the noise we are making as we fly overhead," said Sgt. Christopher Scharff, who calls Brevard, N.C., home.
Even with that occasional gunfire, the crews say it is possible to become complacent with the repetitive missions.
"It's not very glamorous, and sometimes it can be monotonous," Reynolds said. "Occasionally, we do air assaults and insert ground forces into a landing zone; that sparks the excitement level."
"A lot of nights, we have to pump each other up, and remind ourselves why we do this," Gonzalez added. "We are keeping about 180 people off the streets of Baghdad per night."
As they work through the night, the Chinook crews also miss out on things that other Soldiers may take for granted.
"A lot of our Soldiers haven't seen the sun in nine months," Gonzalez said. "They miss out on going to the (Post Exchange) and even taking care of any administrative stuff, because the (personnel offices) are closed during our work shift. We have to stay up until the equivalent of midnight for us to get those things done."
Despite the drawbacks, the Chinook crews – composed of a pilot in command, pilot, flight engineer and two crew chiefs – find their missions rewarding, too.
"No matter what, if you have had a rough day or there is bad news on television, when you strap in, that all goes away," Reynolds said.
"I love flying; I feel better in the air than on the ground any day," Scharrf said. "It's rare to find a job you love doing. I've got that."
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2007 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 11321 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 528 |
| Downloads: | 506 |
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