1st Air Cavalry Brigade ground maintainers take to the skies of Iraq

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Ryan Zanni (left), of Portland, Ore., a water purification specialist, and Sgt. Douglas Owens (right), from Azel, Texas, a heavy wheeled vehicle operator, both from Company E, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavlary Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, pause for a photo before conducting preflight checks. Zanni and Owens became door gunners for Co. A, 2-227th, 1st ACB, to help support their comrades due to a shortage in door gunners throughout their battalion.  

TAJI, IRAQ

08.03.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Erik Duiker 

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

CAMP TAJI, Iraq — One might not expect to find vehicle mechanics, truck drivers and petroleum supply specialists working as aviation crew members.

But that's the case for Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division—Baghdad.

To assist in filling the demand for air crewmembers, several Soldiers from Company E were selected and trained to assume duties as door gunners on UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

Following several weeks of classroom training necessary learn about their specific aircraft, crew procedures and responsibilities, door gunners went through approximately two and a half months of hands-on flight training to become fully mission qualified.

Sgt. Dustin Jeffcoat, a Black Hawk crew chief from Canton, Texas, was one of the primary trainers for the door gunners. He has had positive experiences with the new recruits flying in the command and control missions.

"Time and time again, they've been faced with situations during aircraft preparation and in flight, and they've always been able to quickly adapt and accomplish the mission while maintaining the highest level of professionalism," said Jeffcoat.

Capt. Michael Powell, of Austin, Texas, commander, A Co., feels the door gunners are essential to completing his mission.

"The augmented door gunners are key to the preservation of our maintenance capability," he said. "These guys have been a tremendous asset to us and make it possible for the CAC to fly a full mission load while still allowing for crew rest and maintenance on the aircraft."

Capt. Craig Falk, from Batavia, Ill., a pilot and E Co. commander, said his team continues to meet their mission in lieu of the recent loss of man-power.

He is proud of his Soldiers' accomplishments on and off of the flight line.

"[The door gunner program] helps distribute the load on the crew chiefs and increases the flight companies' maintenance capabilities," said Falk. "I also think that it encourages closer teamwork among the companies in the battalion."

Falk feels his Soldiers are now seeing another side of aviation operations now that they are door gunners.

"Often the ground guys think that the air crews don't do very much work and just fly around all day. On the other hand, some of the air crews don't have a good understanding of what the Soldiers in my forward support company do," he said. "I think that this really helps give everybody a better appreciation of the of the battalion's overall mission.

Company A's air crewmembers work long days, which typically start with a 4:30 a.m. mission brief, followed by mission preparation at the flight line.

The door gunners assist the crew chiefs in performing equipment checks, loading and securing the crew's gear and mission-related equipment, checking fuel samples, and setting up the weapons systems.

Maintaining the professional appearance inside the aircraft and assisting the crew chiefs set up headsets are also an important part of the door gunner's pre-flight duties in a CAC mission.

Falk said that he sent more motivated and experienced troops to support the new mission and said he "expects to hear good things about their performance, and that's certainly been the case. I'm pretty proud of all of them."

Spc. Ryan Zanni, of Portland, Ore., a water purification specialist, is excited about serving as a Black Hawk door gunner with Co A.

"It's a lot of fun and quite an adrenaline rush," said Zanni. "I like being able to get out and go from Forward Operating Base to Forward Operating Base. I like the tempo, too. There's never a dull moment."

Zanni also appreciates the amount of responsibility given to him.

"You're out there in view of everybody. As an E-4, you don't usually get the chance to be around general officers and other VIPs; I do, and I really enjoy that," said Zanni.

However, it is not all fun; there have been some sobering experiences, he said.

Zanni was on a mission to fly wounded warriors returning to Iraq as part of their closure and healing process.

"All these Soldiers were missing limbs. They'd all been injured pretty badly," said Zanni. "We flew them around to the FOBs they'd been stationed at, and around where they'd actually been wounded. That whole experience was a real eye-opener for me."

Spc. Adam Wilcox, of Geneva, Fla., a wheeled vehicle mechanic, also serves as a door gunner with A Co., 2-227th. He feels the intensity of the job as well, he said.

"[It is] really interesting to watch the whole operation unfold from the air," said Wilcox. "Missions like that give me a sense of just how serious this is."

Sgt. Douglas Owens, of Azel, Texas, door gunner, is on his second tour at Taji with the 1st ACB.

"The last time I was here, we never left the FOB," said Owens. "This time, I'm flying just about every day. I get to see and experience a lot. This is a pretty serious job and there's a lot to it, definitely more of a challenge. But it's a great job that I really enjoy doing."

Zanni and Owens, although fairly new to the door gunner position, have already made a name for themselves.

Whenever there is a mission to fly the MND-B commanding general, leadership call for Zanni or Owens due to their dedication to professionalism and detail, said Jeffcoat.

Whether they are work on ground equipment or flying through the air, Soldiers of 2-227th are focused on one thing — making the mission happen, said Powell.

• Date Taken: 08.03.2009
• Date Posted: 08.04.2009 03:19
• Story ID: 37105
• Location: TAJI, IQ