Bird 745 is Alive

Photo By Staff Sgt. Steven Colvin | U.S. and Greek soldiers pose with the U.S. Consulate General, Rebecca Fong, in front of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that was shipped from the U.S. to the port of Thessaloniki, Greece, Nov. 22, 2017.  

KOSOVO

11.24.2017

Story by Staff Sgt. Steven Colvin 

KFOR Regional Command East

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Multinational Battle Group-East aviation crews and support personnel made a journey of over 200 miles from Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, to the Port of Thessaloniki, Greece, Nov. 22-24, 2017, to receive their newest addition of the UH-60 Black Hawk medical fleet – Bird 745!
Army National Guard Soldiers from Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, currently serving in Kosovo, spent months planning the operation that would eventually bring the new UH-60 Black Hawk from the United States to Greece. It took a lot of detailed paperwork, but with the help of the National Guard Bureau, the logistics team and the cooperation of the Greek government, the package was delivered.
“The United States and Greece are working together to promote peace, rule of law, and freedom worldwide,” said Rebecca Fong, the U.S. Consulate General of Thessaloniki. “Today was a remarkable example and a display of how people from two Nations, with different cultural backgrounds can come together to achieve operational success.”
Fong went on to say there is nothing more fulfilling and encouraging to see both countries working shoulder to shoulder for one common goal – peace and stability in the Balkans.
“The strong U.S. – Greece relationship and shared commitment to peace and stability is a great example of how we can continue to build an even stronger Europe,” said Fong.
The Port of Thessaloniki crewmembers worked diligently with the U.S. aviation crew when the ship “Liberty” came into port. They carefully guided the helicopter out of the hull of the ship, down the ramp and onto the landing. From there, the aviation maintainers took over and began to inventory, inspect and assemble the Black Hawk.
“I’ve been a Black Hawk maintainer for over a year and have over 200 maintenance-man hours,” said Pfc. Raymond Fuller, a UH-60 Black Hawk maintainer with 1st Battalion, 185th Aviation Regiment out of Tupelo, Miss. “This is the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to do my job overseas. It’s actually pretty exciting to perform my duty as an aviation maintainer in Greece.”
While the mechanics were assembling the helicopter, Fong introduced herself to them. She took the time to meet the U.S. Soldiers, shake their hands and thank them for their service.
“It is a privilege to witness such great cooperation efforts between the Greek and U.S. Armies,” said Fong. “I want to thank all of you for that.”
Throughout the rest of the day and into the evening hours, the aviation maintainers continued assembling the UH-60 Black Hawk before heading to Camp Kodra, in Thessaloniki, to rest for the night. Camp Kodra is a Kosovo Forces camp that is ran by the Greek Army.
Greek Col. Christos Oikonomidis, Communication Zone – South commander, was very helpful in accommodating the Kosovo Forces Multinational Battle Group – East U.S. Soldiers during their three-day mission.
“With its constant and reliable liaison with the Greek authorities, both civilian and military, CommZ-South is available to KFOR personnel 24 hours a day,” said Oikonomidis. “We are happy to help KFOR personnel and accommodate them at Camp Kodra.”
On the second day, the flight crew completed the daily inspections and run-up, which includes inspecting very important mechanical parts of the aircraft, inside and out, as well as checking all avionic systems. They also made sure that all flight controls are operating correctly to include the main and tail rotor systems, key flight instruments, as well as communications equipment.
Once that was completed, the aviators were able to fly the helicopter to Thessaloniki International Airport where it was topped off with fuel before making a 200-mile flight to Camp Bondsteel the following day.
“Flying from Greece and working with international flight plans was a unique opportunity for us,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Richardson, MNBG-East’s medical air ambulance company commander out of 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, Oklahoma. “This was the first time we have done this. It was different, but it was definitely a good experience.”
Richardson said the higher level of coordination to get the flight approved to fly out of Thessaloniki International Airport, fly over Macedonia and then into Kosovo seemed to be cordial once they were able to take care of some minor issues.
“It was really nice working with the Greek government,” said Richardson. “It was especially nice working with the Greek Army at Camp Kodra. Those guys were very helpful, not only in providing a place for us to stay and eat, but also making sure that all of our other needs were met. It was a great experience.”
Today, U.S. and Greece share a strong military-to-military relationship with a common goal of supporting and strengthening that relationship through the continuous cooperation of NATO and bi-lateral training/operations.
“Our partnership with Greece has prepared hundreds of units to deploy for NATO/KFOR peacekeeping operations,” said Fong. “This mission, despite its size, serves to further enhance the strong-deep bonds between Hellenic and U.S. Forces.”
The purpose of this mission was to replace a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that was damaged in a massive wind storm a few months ago. The aviation crew has been one Black Hawk shy of being at full strength of three medical equipped helicopters since the storm.
“Before we came to Camp Bondsteel we were told about the wind storm that damaged one of our helicopters,” said Richardson. “We managed to complete a lot of training using an assault Black Hawk along with two of our own, but having one more medical evacuation helicopter is going to make it a lot better.”
Richardson went on to say that the difference between a UH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopter and a UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation helicopter is the specific rescue and medical equipment on board. There is a vast difference using an assault helicopter during specific medical training scenarios when compared to using a fully-equipped medical evacuation helicopter.
“With our helicopters, we have external hoist capabilities, which are used in rescue situations when there isn’t a place for our helicopters to safely land,” said Richardson. “We also have oxygen tanks, blood pumps, heart monitors, as well as trauma equipment. Basically, we have the highest level of pre-hospital care that we can get inside the medical evacuation helicopters.”
The aviators and aviation crewmembers will continue to conduct training exercises throughout the rest of their deployment in Kosovo. Now that “Bird 745” is alive, they plan on getting as much air time as possible.

• Date Taken: 11.24.2017
• Date Posted: 12.15.2017 10:46
• Story ID: 259051
• Location: ZZ