Photo By Maj. Leslie Reed | A member of the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team signals his teammates inside an...... read more read more
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SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Army National Guard’s own Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, working together with the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, opened the Pendleton Round-Up from September 12-14, 2024, in Pendleton, Oregon.
Flying their CH-47 Chinook helicopters, aviation crews dropped members of the demonstration team above the Round-Up grandstands, allowing them to land inside the famous grass rodeo arena, the only one of its kind in the world.
Cooperation between the Oregon Army National Guard and the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs is now in its second year, after first opening the rodeo together in 2023. Several of the same Soldiers who supported last year’s event, were back this season, including both pilots and flight engineers.
Facility Standardization Pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Three, Ray Talkington who flew in support of multiple insertions, recalled the unit last working with paratroopers in November in 2023.
“Typically, the [Oregon Air National Guard’s] 125th Special Tactics Squadron is our primary client,” he said. “We often get opportunities based on other individual organizations. These opportunities typically happen when units like the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or other active-duty, or reserve units are unavailable to support.”
Rodeo attendees on Friday, September 13th, or “Patriot Day” at the Round-Up were also treated in addition to the CH-47 and Leap Frogs, with a two-ship F-15 Eagle flyover supported by the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing, based out of Klamath Falls.
Named the 4th Best Rodeo in the United States in 2024 by USA Today, and a “Can’t-Miss” Rodeo of the year by Sports Illustrated (SI.com), the 114-year-old Pendleton Round-Up seeks to preserve and celebrate the “rich western heritage, diverse cultures, and vibrant community spirit” and seeks to “foster the growth of agricultural programs, exalt the beauty of western culture…”
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2024 19:21 |
| Story ID: | 481574 |
| Location: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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