Published: January 16, 2011
Black Hawk Crews Keep VIPs Safe, Mobile Around Baghdad
By Spc. Roland Hale
PAO eCAB, 1st Inf. Div.
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - An Army Black Hawk helicopter company flying out of Camp Taji, Iraq, is charged with moving military and civilian VIPs between U.S. bases here.
Since March, the aviators of A Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment have flown nearly 6,000 flight hours in support of several military commands around Baghdad.
Capt. Richard Polen (nearest), a native of Leavenworth, Kan., performs pre-flight checks of his Black Hawk helicopter's systems before a mission around Baghdad. Polen is the commander of A Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, eCAB, 1ID.
Photo: by Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID.)
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In addition to countless general officers, the company's passengers have included Sen. John McCain, State Department officials and other U.S. dignitaries. The company also transports celebrities, comedians and performers visiting troops here.
"We provide safe and professional transportation for senior leaders and distinguished visitors," said Capt. Richard Polen, the company's commander.
Polen, native of Leavenworth, Kan., is serving his second tour in Iraq. The country is less hostile than on his first tour, but safety is still one of his company's primary considerations, he said.
"If any of these generals were to get hurt travelling on the ground, that could be used as a huge propaganda campaign by the enemy," said Polen. "Our mission keeps people off the ground, away from the IEDs."
Black Hawk crew chief Sgt. Jason Kennedy, native of St. Louis, Mo., faces out the window of his aircraft during a mission near Baghdad. Assigned to A Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, eCAB, 1ID.
Photo: Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID PAO)
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Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Pringle is new to the VIP mission as a pilot. Pringle, native of Port Richey, Fla., deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a Black Hawk door gunner with the 101st Airborne Division, where many of his missions involved combat air assaults, he said.
The VIP missions Pringle flies now are the "flip-side of the coin, but just as important," he said.
"It's maybe not as glamorous as doing an air assault, but the guys we fly now are the ones planning this operation, the drawdown and other things of that nature," said Pringle.
An Army Black Hawk helicopter deployed to Iraq with the Enhanced Combat Aviation Brigade, 1ID takes off from a pad near Baghdad.
Photo: Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB,1ID. PAO) |
The end of combat operations does not mean less work for the crews, said Spc. Richard Stevens, one of the company's crew chiefs. The crews fly as much in Operation New Dawn as they did during the height of the war, said Stevens.
Often the crews fly daily for several weeks before getting time off, he said. Stevens, native of Columbus, Ohio, is on his second Iraq deployment. He has flown around 600 flight hours since March, an average amount for most crew members, he said.
Black Hawk crew member Spc. Christopher Croft, holds his M240 machine gun while scanning his sector during a mission near Baghdad.
Photo: Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID PAO)
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"It's a busy mission," he said. "We may be lucky to grab something to eat on our way out sometimes."
"We take the generals wherever they want to go," said Stevens. "That involves a lot of early arrivals and being flexible to their schedules."
The company will stay busy until it returns to Fort Riley, Kan., sometime this spring. What they do until then "all depends on where the VIPs need to go," said Stevens.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Clifford Rakes, a Black Hawk pilot deployed to Iraq, shuts down his aircraft's systems following a mission near Baghdad.
Photo:Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID. PAO)
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Black Hawk crew chief Sgt. Jason Kennedy, native of St. Louis, Mo., monitors his aircraft's descent during a mission near Baghdad.
Photo:Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID.PAO)
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Black Hawk crew chief Spc. Titus Richardson, a native of Hollister, N.C., leans out of his crew window during a mission near Baghdad.
Photo: Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1st Inf. Div. PAO) |
Black Hawk crew member Spc. Christopher Croft, a native of Pocola, Okla., stands near the M240 machine gun mounted to his aircraft during a mission near Baghdad.
Photo:Spc. Roland Hale, eCAB, 1ID. PAO |
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