Indiana Soldier makes history

Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Indiana National Guard Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Sawyer, instructor pilot for Company C, 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment, stands by a UH-60 Black Hawk, Sept. 28, at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Sawyer flew his 1000th combat hour while deployed in Iraq during an approximate year-long mobilization.  

BALAD, IRAQ

09.22.2009

Story by Spc. Elizabeth Houx 

Task Force 38

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — While flying troops and supplies between forward operating bases throughout Iraq, an Indiana National Guard Soldier made history.

Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Sawyer, a UH-60 Black Hawk standardization instructor pilot with Company C, 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment, flew his 1000th combat hour, Sept. 22, and became the first Indiana National Guard Soldier to do so.

"It's an honor to be the first one," said Sawyer, a Shelbyville, Ind., resident. "It's a capstone achievement in an aviation career."

During his first deployment to Iraq in 2005 with Company D, 126th Aviation Regiment, Sawyer flew approximately 650 hours. In his second deployment to Iraq in 2009, Sawyer has so far flown approximately 390 hours.

"For an aviator, it takes a lot of dedication, a lot of study and a lot of time to get good at what you're doing," he said.

Sawyer said he was not the first one to achieve more than 1,000 combat flying hours.

"Soldiers from the Vietnam War have flown more than 1,000 combat hours," he said. "I learned to fly from those veterans when I
was young."

But Sawyer's goal was not to reach the history-making title. As an experienced Soldier, pilot and mentor, Sawyer said his goal was to pass his gained knowledge and skills to younger Aviators.

"Even though we are in a combat zone, a non-training environment, I want to pass on as much information and training as possible to the younger guys," said the instructor pilot.

"My goal is to ensure pilots get the best training possible," he added.

One of the aviators Sawyer flew with during the deployment, said the pilot provided guidance and was mentoring towards everyone.

Indiana Army National Guard Spc. Donald Tharp, a Company C, was on his first deployment in his three-year military career during the mobilization to Iraq in 2009.

"When I first starting flying, I was nervous," said Tharp. "He pulled me to the side and helped me calm down."

Sawyer's mentorship did not stop at comforting the specialist during that first flight.

"He's always pushing people to study academics of the aircraft," added Tharp. "He is always pushing people to be better at what they do."

The company's first sergeant, 1st Sgt. James Hudnall, also recognized Sawyer as an asset to the company and deployment.

"He is a very fit, dedicated and knowledgeable Soldier who is extremely confident," Hudnall said. "He is representative of the loyalty and professionalism of the military in general."

Hudnall said he was pleased with what Sawyer achieved, but the company's Soldiers are still focused on their mission while in Iraq.

"Regardless of accomplishments, we still have a mission to complete," said Hudnall. "We will keep on driving until we get home."

And the pilot intends to do just that. Sawyer plans to add to his already more than 1,000 combat hours flown by at least 50 hours in the remaining months of his tour.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2009
• Date Posted: 10.01.2009 07:32
• Story ID: 39532
• Location: BALAD, IQ