Aviation Brigade Soldiers seek spiritual connection with Boeing.

Photo By Sgt. Jamie Robinson | CH (CPT) Thorne, the Chaplain for the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, leads a discussion with Soldiers about “Living for Something More”. Thorne made parallels between their experience touring the Boeing facility and finding purpose in their personal lives.  

FORT DRUM, NY, UNITED STATES

07.19.2023

Story by Spc. Jamie Robinson 

10th Combat Aviation Brigade

*Co-Authored by CH (CPT) Thorne, the 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion Chaplain responsible for planning and coordinating this incredibly ambitious event.

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (July 19, 2023) – Members of B Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, recently flew their CH-47 Chinooks back to the site in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, where Boeing manufactured them. Boeing directors and employees welcomed the visitors and the helicopters they shipped to the Army eight years ago.

With warm smiles, welcome arms, and miniature Chinook pins, the pilots, crews, and maintenance operators found themselves shaking hands with the people responsible for producing the helicopter they fly and fight in daily. In a joint effort between Capt. Christopher Fiegenbaum, B Company commander; the 3-10 GSAB Unit Ministry Team (UMT) led by Chaplain (Capt.) Mark Thorne, and the Boeing Company, Soldiers explored Spiritual Readiness after a tour with the Boeing Facility in Philadelphia. “Our goal in this collaborative effort is to build foundational training combined with hands-on experience to care for the soul of the Soldiers. These brave Soldiers put their lives in the hands of this aircraft every day,” said Thorne.

Boeing offers an array of options for customers in the aviation marketplace with commercial airplanes and global services, as well as Defense, Space and Security (DSS). In fact, Boeing is the largest defense manufacturer in the world, with $23 Billion in annual revenue from DSS. Within DSS are several specialties: Mobility, Surveillance & Bombers, Space Intelligence, Weapons Systems, and Air Dominance & Vertical Lift. The Vertical Lift department headquarters is in Philadelphia, PA where the CH-47 Chinook is produced.

Boeing has produced the CH-47 Chinook since they purchased Vertol, an Aircraft Company, in 1960. The Aircraft has been used in combat since 1965 during the Vietnam War. The CH-47 has gone through many iterations over the years, changing based on the evolving needs of its primary customer: the U.S. Army. The newest model of the Chinook currently under development is Boeing’s H-47 Chinook Block II.

At Boeing, and later tied together in class, the purpose of the trip was for the Soldiers to spiritually connect their work in the Army to the creative origins of the aircraft in which they fly and fight.

While at the Boeing manufacturing facility, Soldiers toured the plant floor, saw the production process for the current model of the Chinook and peeked at the Block II models. In the afternoon, engineering teams talked with the Soldiers and received feedback on ideas for the Block II that is currently in development. It was truly an amazing experience for end users to communicate with developers of the aircraft they use at work daily and have an opportunity to improve the future of aviation.

“They now know the faces and names of those who design and build their airframe. We just made a very strong connection between their service to this country and the powers behind the scenes,” said Thorne.

Following the Boeing tour, Soldiers met with the chaplain for a discussion on finding purpose. Thorne drew parallels between the events that had transpired and built a spiritual connection through finding purpose. He discussed how knowing the production process of the Chinook brings a deeper sense of meaning to the work that the pilots, crew, and mechanics do every day.

Thorne encouraged the Soldiers to take in the experience of walking in the same footsteps and running hands along the same rivets as the people they just met. The message of connecting to something larger was well-received by a captive audience in awe of the immensity and dynamics of the Boeing experience. He concluded that when purpose is found in your personal life through connection with something greater than yourself, it gives you a deeper sense of meaning in life and increases resiliency.
“Connecting to something bigger than ourselves is what spirituality is all about,” Thorne said.

As a result of this event, 3-10 GSAB and the UMT hope to maintain communication and set up future visits to continue training in resiliency and building community between the “Soldiers of the Sky” and those who make it fly.

• Date Taken: 07.19.2023
• Date Posted: 07.21.2023 15:43
• Story ID: 449534
• Location: FORT DRUM, NY, US