By Spc. Aaron Rosencrans
Multi-National Division – Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — U.S. military forces dominate the battlefield with superior weaponry and disciplined talent not only on the land and in the water, but in the air as well.
Part of the success of Multi-National Division – Baghdad's efforts throughout the greater Baghdad area has been attributed to the precision attacks on our enemies from thousands of feet above ground in Task Force XII's AH-64 Apache helicopters.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dennis Seymour, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., who serves as the brigade master gunner for all aircraft and the standardization pilot for AH-64 Apache helicopters with Task Force XII, brings a vast supply of knowledge and skill to the battlefield in support of ground operations in and around Baghdad.
Seymour first joined the military in 1980, where he spent nine years as an electrician in the Air Force. His passion for flight brought him to the Army as a rotary wing aviator, flying Apaches.
Even with so many years in the military, Seymour said he still plans on staying in until the Army decides it's time for him to leave.
"I always said I would get out when I stopped having fun," he said.
Now with 27 years behind his back, Seymour said he has no plans on going anywhere until after he reaches the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5.
Seymour's superior skills have not gone unnoticed by his commander, who has flown with him in the majority of his missions this tour in Iraq.
"Seymour is an absolute expert when it comes to flying and fighting Apache helicopters," said Col. Tim Edens, a native of Fruitland, Idaho, who serves as the commander of Task Force XII. "He is a former instructor pilot at the Fort Rucker Apache Course so he knows the ins and outs of the aircraft."
Edens went on to say Seymour is not just a "TRADOCian," where he only knows the basic skills taught in the schoolhouse. He has spent most of his career in tactical units, so he knows several tricks that are not yet in the training manual, which makes him a very dangerous weapon against the enemy, he said.
The Training and Doctrine Command is in charge of recruiting, training and education of the U.S. Army's Soldiers.
Seymour has a daily ritual before every mission, which includes doing his preflight checks, putting on his yellow "Southern Miss" hat and preparing the aircraft before he even climbs into the cockpit.
Seymour said it is his job to set the example for the rest of the crews. That way, everyone knows what right looks like, so he does his checks by the numbers.
"I start at the front end of the helicopter and I work my way around, checking every hatch, the fluid levels and the integrity of all the major parts even before receiving my mission briefing," he said.
After the mission briefing, Seymour usually straps into the bird with Edens and takes off for their mission.
"Some people think it's all excitement as an Apache pilot," Seymour said. "Really, what ends up happening is we fly around for five hours for only three minutes of excitement. In fact, flying six or seven days per week wears you out. There's a lot of mental strain involved with flying the helicopter and targeting bad guys on the ground."
When it comes time for Seymour to engage enemy forces, he said he thinks of the process as more of a video game than a real life situation.
"The reality of it is I'm taking somebody's life away every time I pull that trigger," he said. "That's a hard thing to think about. What makes it easier is the fact that every enemy I take out is one less bad guy my son has to worry about."
Seymour's son followed in his father's footstep and joined the Army as well. He serves in a psychological operations unit and is currently attending the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
After the mission is complete, Seymour's job could be done for the night; however, ground crew members said he provides a helping hand with post-mission checks when he can.
"He is one of those pilots who goes above and beyond with the checks and maintenance, which makes our job much easier on the ground," said Cpl. Jimmy Duenas, a native of Guam, who serves as an Apache mechanic and crew chief with Outlaw Troop, 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force XII, MND-B.
As long as pilots like Seymour are around to provide air coverage for Soldiers on the ground, the U.S. military will continue to dominate in all areas of combat.