Air Cavalry crew chief Stays busy of Baghdad skies

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Nathan Hoskins | Playing off what used to be the Army's slogan, Cisco, Texas, native Sgt. Ron Scheuren wears a humorous "Army of Ron" patch while flying a mission over Baghdad. Scheuren, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief for Company B, 3rd "Spearhead" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, enjoys flying, but knows that isn't the only part of his job. "(Crew chiefs) are not in an office; we're on the flight line all day long. If we're not on the flight line we're flying. If you're not flying, you're fixing the aircraft," he said.  

TAJI, IRAQ

05.25.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Nathan Hoskins 

1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Nathan Hoskins
1st ACB, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- Sgt. Ron Scheuren gets to fly nearly every day at work, but this 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division Soldier isn't Superman.

A native of Cisco, Texas, Scheuren flies over Baghdad almost every day as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief for Company B, 3rd "Spearhead" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.

As a crew chief, he's responsible for the passengers' and aircraft's protection while flying. He's also responsible for maintaining the Black Hawk while it's not in flight, said Scheuren.

"(Crew chiefs) are not in an office; we're on the flight line all day long. If we're not on the flight line, we're flying. If we're not flying, we're fixing the aircraft," he said.

Before the crew chiefs go out to fly a mission, they first do a pre-flight check of the aircraft to ensure it is functioning properly. Then they load it up with supplies needed for the mission, said Scheuren.

In the skies over Baghdad, Scheuren and his aircrew is all business, but a quick look at the back of his flight helmet shows he's got a sense of humor, even in a combat zone. He bears the U.S. Army's logo on it, but he's proclaiming himself as "An Army of Ron," poking fun at the Army's recruiting slogan before it became "Army Strong."

After a mission is completed and the flight helmet comes off, Scheuren and his fellow crew chiefs have to perform scheduled maintenance on the aircraft along with any other issues that might have come up during flight, he said.

This daily routine leaves little time to do much else other than eat and sleep, he said.

"When I get off work, I call my wife, shower, grab something to eat and then it's to bed," he said. "You have a little chill time (to) read, play games (and) catch up on the news. Then it's starting all over again."

On a normal day, Scheuren helps fly troops across the battle space so that they can get around quickly and safely, he said.

"(Transporting Soldiers) keeps people off the ground where they're getting hurt. So if you can put them in an aircraft, that just increases their chances of getting from point A to point B," he said.

This happily married father of one knows the risks inherent in being a crew chief, but doesn't let himself think about them very often, he said.

"You put (the risk factor) in the back of your mind. You don't talk about it. You know it's out there, but you don't bring it up," said Scheuren. "Just like everybody else out here, you go do the job you're assigned to do."

Recently Scheuren took part in missions supporting the search for three missing 10th Mountain Division Soldiers.

"This kind of (mission) is the (mission) every crew chief wants to do. It's direct support of an on-going mission – there's not a single crew chief that objects to doing this," said Scheuren.

Scheuren is looking forward to going home after the deployment and spending time with his family and maybe getting in some hunting, he said. But for now, Scheuren is flying high over the skies of Baghdad – making sure his aircraft gets his passengers safely to their final destinations.

"(Being a crew chief) is a great gig," he said. "It's non-stop and it's something different everyday."

• Date Taken: 05.25.2007
• Date Posted: 05.25.2007 10:12
• Story ID: 10510
• Location: TAJI, IQ