Photo By Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hoskins | After taking notes on items that might be helpful to Apache crew chiefs, San Antonio...... read more read more
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By Spc. Nathan Hoskins
1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, welcomed senior aviation and safety leaders as part of a summit to discuss the current status and future of Army aviation, March 7.
Maj. Gen. James Pillsbury, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and Brig. Gen. William Forrester Jr., the commanding general of the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center and director of Army safety, met with Traverse City, Mich., native Col. Daniel Shanahan, the commander of the 1st ACB "Warriors," and his staff for a short briefing before heading out to the flight line to discuss issues with the Soldiers.
While visiting with the aviators and mechanics on the air field, Pillsbury, a San Antonio native, asked if there was anything that could be done to improve upon their current work conditions, said Sgt. 1st Class Palermo Deschamps, a platoon sergeant for Company A, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.
Having the ears of one of the senior aviation leaders, many Soldiers brought up issues such as simply providing head lamps for night shifts workers and more complex issues concerning the aircraft's systems and controls.
"I brought some issues up about things that crew chiefs will need; things that can be issued to the crew chief to make the work environment better since we run 24-hour operations here," said Deschamps, from New York.
Forrester took the opportunity to stress the importance of taking safety to a more personal level.
"Take ownership of not just your own actions, but of the actions of your teammate. ... The power is in you guys to protect [your] own, because if you don't then you're going to be operating with less than which you came with," he said.
After visiting with the Warriors out on the airfield, Pillsbury and Forrester sat down and talked with the Warrior command and staff during a luncheon.
"My experience is on the maintenance side, so I'm very impressed with what I see. I've been around this Army long enough to know that, operationally, you guys and gals are at Ph.D. level," said Pillsbury.
Forrester also expressed his approval of the operations he observed during the visit.
"I'm impressed; I truly am. Because what I see in your formation is an energy," he said.
The generals weren't the only ones impressed.
Most Soldiers felt that the visiting generals were genuine concerned about the wellbeing of the troops.
"I'm happy to see that the people [who] can make the decisions are actually taking the time to come around to see our Soldiers," Deschamps said.
Pillsbury said he would work as many issues as possible and take the input he received back to the United States.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 03.12.2007 11:12 |
| Story ID: | 9384 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 53 |
| Downloads: | 35 |
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