Virginia National Guard Provides Aviation Support in Guatemala

Photo By Sgt. Alejandro Smith-Antuna | Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Johnson, a crew chief with the 2nd Battalion of the 224 Aviation Regiment, Virginia Army National Guard, prepares a UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter for a spritz cleaning after having flown near a volcano during Operation Beyond the Horizon April 28, 2014. “Anytime we fly near areas with saltwater or volcanic ash in the air we need to clear out the engines to ensure the birds run well,” Johnson said. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Alejandro S. Smith-Antuna)  

ZACAPA, GUATEMALA

04.28.2014

Story by Sgt. Alejandro Smith-Antuna 

119th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ZACAPA, Guatemala – Roars of the UH-60 Black Hawk turbines can be heard throughout the day as members of the Virginia Army National Guard’s 2nd Battalion “Punishers of the 224th Aviation Regiment perform flight operations in support of Task Force Oso throughout Guatemala during Operation Beyond the Horizon 2014.

The 2-224th Aviation Regiment has been the sole aviation support for the Task Force. While the primary purpose of the unit is Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC), they also find time to train themselves and serve other roles supporting the Beyond the Horizon 2014 mission.

“CASEVAC, VIP transportation and Medical Evacuations (MEDEVAC) have been the most common of our flight operations,” said Sgt. Katy Martin, the flight operations Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) in charge. “The task force will usually put in a request and we help out best as we can. Majority of April has been VIP transportation.”

While providing aviation support, the Punishers have provided training for the task force medics and Guatemalan troops. One area of focus has been “hot loads” Hot loads involve loading on to a helicopter while the engine and propellers are running. Before undergoing a hot load, Soldiers will practice with cold loads, engines off, to familiarize themselves with the craft and loading procedures.

“We’ve taken the Guatemalans soldiers and have trained them also for hot loads,” Martin said. “We’ve done the same with the task force, training the medics how to do hot loads on the helicopters to ensure the fastest possible MEDEVACs and CASEVACS in case the need arises.”

This training, with the Guatemalan troops, is an example of the Beyond the Horizon team’s dedication to working with our host nation partners in their efforts to help the people of the nation.

“We’ve been able to take advantage of the area to conduct high altitude training, not something we’d typically get to do in Virginia,” Capt. Benjamin Zahm, Commander of the 2-224 Aviation Regiment stated. “We’ve got small mountains back home compared to the ones in Guatemala. We’re able to test out the helicopters and see what they’re capable of when going over large mountains at high altitudes.”

The Aviation crew has a certain amount of missions everyday, usually given to them by the task force, which can be included into their training flights that day.

“I love aviation!” Martin said, “I like being able to make sure the pilots are safe and successful with our missions. I have definitely learned a lot from being down here.”

Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Long, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, while visiting the 2-224 on April 28, said he was proud of the work the regiment had done so far and presented coins to members of the unit for their hard work and dedication.

• Date Taken: 04.28.2014
• Date Posted: 05.08.2014 05:28
• Story ID: 129127
• Location: ZACAPA, GT