CAB Soldiers train to become Blackhawk door gunners

Photo By Creighton Holub | Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Soldiers begin their journey to take their 15-day Environmental, Morale Leave from Camp Taji to their homes or vacation points.  

TAJI, IRAQ

04.24.2006

Courtesy Story

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CAMP TAJI, Iraq - The crew chiefs of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, are responsible for maintaining and providing security for their aircraft during the unit's various missions.

Their jobs often require continuous day and night operations with little rest in between. The Soldiers will soon get some relief from Soldiers serving in other military occupational specialties within the battalion.

To provide some relief for the crew chiefs, who double as door gunners on the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, Soldiers from various sections within the battalion volunteered, and completed training, to become door gunners.

The training program was requested by Lt. Col. Michael Gawkins, commander, 3rd Bn., 4th Avn. Regt., through the Standardization sections, in which Staff Sgt. Michael Holliday serves as an instructor.

"Basically what we're doing is taking Soldiers from different MOSs and training them as we would crew chiefs," he explained. "This is to relieve my crew chiefs from excessive flight time. It keeps them out of the red."

"We track their flight hours, and they have a restriction of 90 hours every 30 days," said Holliday. "If they continue to fly every day, battle fatigue sets in. Once they hit the red, they can't fly."
Holliday said integrating the door gunners is a means for alleviating the normal stress placed on the crew chiefs.

"So far it's been coming along pretty good," he said. "We've trained four individuals. One is a crew chief replacement and three others as door gunners."

He added that two of the future trainees are in Army MOS 15T, which is Blackhawk mechanic. The two will become full-time crew chiefs since they will be capable of performing two vital jobs: security and maintenance of the aircraft.

"I think it's important that we give the crew chiefs some rest because they've been working some massive hours," said Sgt. Whitney Spurgeon, a Blackhawk mechanic, who attended the training to become a door gunner/crew chief. "Sharing the workload is better for both sides because it gives the crew chiefs some much-needed rest, but it also gives Soldiers in other MOSs an opportunity to experience a different job."

Upon completion of the training, the Soldiers will be able to carry out similar duties of a crew chief, based on Army Regulation, said Holliday.

Army Regulation 600-106, which defines non-rated crew member flying status, authorizes Soldiers in MOSs other than 15T to perform duties as door gunners in combat-designated environments, said Holliday.

"So what we've done," he explained, "is taken the opportunity to utilize these guys because my crew chiefs are working 12 -14 hours every day."

As for the two aircraft mechanics, they will take on a few more duties as well as a new title.
"We will train them as crew chiefs, though they will still be door gunners," he said. "That way we can utilize them for every mission-task. We can also utilize them for some of the excessive maintenance that we do, because they are qualified."

Holliday said the plan is to get at least nine Soldiers trained as door gunners.

The Soldiers will be required to go through the normal procedures required of all flight crews, including flight physicals and any other qualifications, said Holliday. The augmented door gunners are expected to begin full-time missions within the next three weeks.

"The thing that excites me about the job is flying and all the other things you get to see," explained Pfc. Cole Taatjes, a communications specialist, who attended the training. "The crews are pretty short-staffed. They work real hard and they need someone to help them out."

• Date Taken: 04.24.2006
• Date Posted: 04.24.2006 10:48
• Story ID: 6086
• Location: TAJI, IQ