Photo By David Poe | First Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade...... read more read more
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The day started in their East Fort Bliss workspaces and hangars where guests were greeted with breakfast to go, courtesy of the unit’s Alpha and Bravo companies, while static AH-64 Apaches and safety Soldiers stood by as kids climbed in and out of the aircraft cockpits. From there, they received a real-world safety briefing and a mock intelligence briefing that framed the live-fire scenario the guests would see later in the day.
After a bus ride into southern New Mexico, guests disembarked at the Orogrande Range Complex, where more Iron Dragons were standing by to greet them and share more of their experiences in “the box” with tours of a mock Tactical Operations Center and a field living quarters environment. Not every space was a mock setup; the public living quarters were duplicated with off-limits, real-world quarters as third-shift Soldiers slept. Alpha and Bravo companies were once again on point for food with a savory summer cookout.
Lt. Col. Daniel Artino and Command Sgt. Major Javier Ortega, the 1st Bn., 501st Av. Regt. commander and command sergeant major, respectively, formally commended several Soldiers for their work on supporting the Table IX qualification, as well as their help with the culminating family day, during two awards ceremonies before the live-fire, aerial demonstration.
During the live-fire, guests were treated to team engagements and ground force integration demonstrations, all with stadium-style seating and near play-by-play narration as Iron Dragon crews eliminated their targets with precision.
With everything the unit’s Soldiers may have done to make the excursion to the FBTC more realistic for their guests, Leanne Thompson, the battalion Family Readiness Group treasurer, said for her family, just being at work with their Soldier husband and dad was all the realism they needed.
“It’s important for them to see what daddy does when he’s gone,” she said of husband Staff Sgt. Devin Thompson, an aircraft mechanic. “Days like these are important.”
DVs may be commonplace at the FBTC, but the chances for Soldiers to place their families and friends in the spaces in which they serve are less common, and Artino, in command since January, didn’t want his unit to miss its chance to salute those who support his Soldiers every day.
“You’re going to see some flying and some all-star pilots today,” he told guests at the morning safety brief, “but none of that happens without the entire team effort. Thank you for your time today and for your support of this unit and these Soldiers. It means more than you will ever know.”
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2018 22:21 |
| Story ID: | 275645 |
| Location: | OROGRANDE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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