Photo By Maj. Wayne Clyne | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Sanders, a crew chief with Golf Company, 1st Battalion,...... read more read more
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PENDLETON, Ore. — Staff Sgt. Kyle Sanders, a crew chief with Golf Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation, flew his first wildland firefighting water bucket mission Aug. 10, 2026, after years of training and standby without the opportunity to drop water on a fire. This photo essay follows Sanders and his HH-60M Black Hawk crew through a day of water bucket operations supporting wildland firefighting efforts on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County, Oregon.
The Oregon Army National Guard has supported the state's 2026 wildfire response since July 20, when an HH-60M Black Hawk crew first activated to provide search and rescue medevac standby. The mission expanded July 28 to include additional Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, which have been flying water bucket operations on the Hagen Fire since their activation. As of Aug. 10, the fire had burned more than 51,000 acres.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2026 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 572247 |
| Location: | PENDLETON, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Photo Essay: Oregon Guard crew chief makes first water drop on Hagen Fire, by MAJ Wayne Clyne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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