Photo By Staff Sgt. Katrina Timmons | U.S. Army 1st Lt. Joseph Sparks pushes himself out the doors of a UH60 Black Hawk...... read more read more
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CAMP BLANDING, Fla. - From the corner of his eye, Sgt. Chad Edwards watched as three of his buddies scooted themselves out the broad doors of the humming UH60 Black Hawk helicopter.
Seconds later, it was his turn. With one tap on the head from the jump master, Edwards was airborne. Minutes later, Edwards and 13 of his fellow soldiers were safe on the ground celebrating their unit’s first official jump.
The unit is the Alabama Army National Guard’s high-speed Long Range Surveillance unit, Charlie Company, 1st Squadron, 131st Cavalry. On June 19, the company was christened when 14 soldiers from the unit jumped from the belly of a UH60 Black Hawk some 1500 feet above the ground into the Keystone Short Drop Zone just outside Camp Blanding, Fla. It was the company’s first jump as a unit, recognizing it as one of only two airborne units in the Alabama National Guard.
The jump took place during the Company’s annual training at Camp Blanding. According to Charlie Company Commander, Capt. Pattrick Ladner, many long hours of grueling training went into making this historic occasion possible. “This annual training has been one of the biggest milestones we’ve had as a company. This jump is a big mark on our calendar,” said Ladner.
For one Charlie Company soldier, the day was full of excitement and pride. Spc. Adam Kelley re-enlisted for six years while in the air. He was the first soldier in the unit to re-enlist while airborne. Ladner performed the oath of enlistment while fellow soldier, Sgt. James Winters held up an American flag patch – giving Kelley a tangible symbol to recite the oath to.
“It was a great feeling to be able to re-enlist in the air,” said Kelley. “I hope it will inspire and motivate other soldiers to do the same thing."
Immediately after the jump, a formation was held in which Charlie Company troops donned their maroon berets. Only airborne units are authorized to wear the maroon beret. This special headgear makes Charlie Company soldiers stand out wherever they go.
It was a proud moment for Charlie Company said Lt. Col. Michael A. Mitchell, squadron commanding officer for 1st Squadron, 131st Cavalry. “Today’s successful jump is an important milestone for Charlie Company, but it represents only a small part of the unit’s overall capabilities. The LRS Company is an elite unit that is expected to conduct specialized missions deep in enemy territory with little support from higher,” said Mitchell. “The airborne capability is just the start of the many challenges Charlie Company will face in the near term.”
Since the unit’s designation in September 2009, its soldiers have been continuously gearing up for this event and any future real world missions. “A typical drill weekend consists of endurance physical training events like a fourteen mile road march and field training. We usually stay in the field every drill weekend. Members of this or any LRS unit are the most physically fit, mentally tough, and highly trained Infantry soldiers there are,” said Ladner.
The standards and qualifications are high for an LRS soldier. This is due to their unique mission of going where no one else wants to go…behind enemy lines. “Our soldiers are expected to go as far behind enemy lines as needed to gather intelligence for higher headquarters. Missions could last for as long as seven days under the worst weather conditions,” explained Ladner.
“We’re able to get in to those areas where a typical cavalry scout cannot; dropping in by static line parachute, high altitude low opening jumps, small boats, SCUBA divers and fast rope insertions from helicopters,” said Ladner.
Because of their special mission, soldiers assigned to the LRS are given training opportunities most Guard Soldiers never receive. Training such as high altitude low opening school, Scuba school, Ranger School, Pathfinder School, Jumpmaster School and the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader’s Course at Fort Benning are offered to these elite soldiers. Soldiers in the company are expected to acquire all of these special skill identifiers before they become Team Leaders. Officers and non-commissioned officers in the Company are expected, at a minimum, to be Airborne Ranger qualified.
“The maturity level we require of our soldiers is higher than those of a typical unit by necessity,” said Ladner. “Missions are typically conducted as six-man teams operating independently behind enemy lines. This requires very responsible, mature non-commissioned officers and Soldiers to perform these types of missions.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2010 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 54337 |
| Location: | CAMP BLANDING, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,330 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Alabama Guard's Newest Air Benders Take First Jump As A Unit, by SSG Katrina Timmons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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