Photo By Sgt. Savannah Roy | A UH-60 Black Hawk aircrew with the 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat...... read more read more
HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga. – For 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers, 2022 has been a year to remember. With the new year came new opportunities for units to build lethal teams, train in joint environments and overcome new challenges.
“While it's been an extremely busy year, I am incredibly proud of everything we've accomplished,” said Col. Eric Vanek, 3rd CAB commander. “From battalion field training exercises, aerial gunnery, convoy live fire exercises, joint airload training, Hurricane Ian preparations and more, 3rd CAB Soldiers always exceed the expectation in every way possible.”
The Brigade kicked off the new year by celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Marne Air Advisory Board. The board was established primarily to interview potential sexual harassment/assault response prevention victim advocates and sexual assault response coordinators. The board also revamped the SHARP program to include more interactive training and even helped update the Hunter Army Airfield’s barracks standard operating procedure policies, creating a better living environment for single Soldiers.
Soldiers also prepared for the year's first round of aerial gunnery. Readiness and lethality are top priorities for 3rd CAB, and gunnery ensures Soldiers can successfully complete any mission at any time. Marne Air Soldiers set up forward arming and refueling points, allowing aviators to fly to Fort Stewart, Georgia, refuel and receive ammunition and qualify at the range. Gunnery is a team lead effort, with everyone from fuelers, ammo handlers, pilots, maintenance Soldiers and more working together to create a successful training environment.
While some were training in the air, Soldiers in the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd CAB, 3rd ID were on the ground conducting convoy protection platform gunnery. CPPG is an essential qualification and training opportunity to teach sustainment personnel how to provide their own convoy protection in an operational environment. They learn how to safely and accurately engage targets, protecting themselves and their equipment from the enemy.
As the warm spring weather started rolling in, Soldiers training calendars quickly filled up. In May, 3rd CAB participated in joint air load training with Airmen from the 9th Airlift Squadron, 436th Airlift Wing. Soldiers learned how to build pallets, package gear, weigh, load and strap down Army rotary wing aircrafts inside a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft. Airload training allows Soldiers to safely and efficiently load equipment onto an aircraft, ensuring the CAB is ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Joint training like this also gives Soldiers the opportunity to learn new skills and processes from other branches.
On May 1, 3rd CAB assumed the Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Response Force. DCRF is the Department of Defense’s rapid response mission to any CBRN disaster. Soldiers are trained to assist first responders in the event of a domestic CBRN event, deploying with medical, aviation, communication, logistical, and search and rescue units to aid the civilian population affected by the crisis. Marne Air Soldiers completed their validation exercise at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, where they practiced casualty and medical evacuation, air transportation of personnel and search and rescue operations.
By summer, 3rd CAB Soldiers were hitting the pool for swim confidence and shallow water egress training. Soldiers first built up their confidence in the pool by learning how to tread water for long periods of time, proper swimming techniques and how to properly inflate a life vest. Once they felt confident in their swimming abilities, they started SWET training. aircrews learned how to survive an over-water emergency landing using different survival equipment and techniques. Aviators are strapped into a chair that replicates the seat in a helicopter. Trained instructors flip the chair upside down in the pool, and Soldiers must release themself from the seat and swim out of the chair. The exercise simulates exiting a submerged aircraft, allowing aircrews to practice using emergency breathing devices and techniques they would need to escape a real-life emergency.
As summer came to an end, Marne Air Soldiers conducted downed aircraft recovery training. DART teams are made up of junior enlisted Soldiers and noncommissioned officers who each play a critical role in recovering downed aircrafts. Using realistic scenarios, Soldiers train to recover aircrafts from combat zones, aircrafts with mechanical malfunctions and more. DART training increases unit readiness, ensuring Soldiers are prepared to support the CAB in any situation.
Shortly after Hurricane Ian was announced, 3rd CAB Soldiers started preparing the airfield by evacuating aircrafts to Fort Benning and hangaring the rest of the fleet here. This allowed the brigade to maintain readiness while keeping Soldiers and equipment safe but able to spring into action for follow-on missions if needed. Soldiers practice hangaring the fleet multiple times a year, but Hurricane Ian showed just how effective this training is in a real-life disaster.
As the year began to wind down, 3rd CAB pushed forward with training. Soldiers in 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, conducted blade folding training on the AH-64 Apache. Aircrews fold the aircrafts blades before it's transported on cargo ships or in other aircrafts. This ensures the transported aircraft arrives at its destination safely.
Soldiers assigned to 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, also took this time to conduct Bambi Bucket training at Fort Stewart. Aircrews attached large water buckets to their UH-60 Blackhawk and practiced releasing water onto targets. The aircrew above controls when the water drops with a release valve. This technique of water transportation enables aircrews to support aerial firefighting missions.
“3rd CAB Soldiers are among the finest our Nation has to offer,’ said Vanek. “I have no doubt that our brigade will continue to be extremely successful the remainder of this year and we look forward to what 2023 will bring.”
The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will kick off the new year preparing for their upcoming nine-month rotation to Europe in support of Atlantic Resolve. Atlantic Resolve provides units with the ability to build readiness, increase interoperability and enhance the bond between ally and partner militaries through multinational training events.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2022 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 435355 |
| Location: | HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 229 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, An Inside Look at the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade's 2022, by SGT Caitlin Wilkins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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