Photo By Sgt. Jeremy Spires | Men, women and children from across Texas and the United States visit a small hangar...... read more read more
HOUSTON - On July 15, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, 36th Infantry Division hosted a ceremony to honor the last AH-64A Apache helicopter, aircraft 451. This ceremony marked the end of the A-model Apache's service in the defense of freedom.
"In 1984, the Army took delivery of its first A-model Apache AH-64A and today we are looking at the very last of those A-model Apaches," Col. Shane Openshaw, Project Manager for the Apache Attack Helicopter, stated to the gathered crowd. "Each one of those (aircrafts) have been remodeled into the D-model Apaches ... so today we are not retiring this aircraft, and we are certainly not saying goodbye, what we are doing is putting it through its commencement as we prepare to take this aircraft and turn it into the latest generation of attack helicopters."
Apache 451 was assigned to the brigade in 2002 and in 2006 deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. 451 will soon be flown to a Boeing facility in Arizona and refitted to the next generation AH-64D Apache Longbow.
"We're going to make sure that aircraft goes out in style," said Lt. Col. Derrek Hryhorchuk, commander of the 1-149th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion. "I'm looking forward to the capabilities that needed to be improved in the A-model that are now in the D-model Longbow."
To mark the official hand-off of the aircraft, the "green" logbook was handed from the current owner, Hryhorchuk, to the Project Manager for the Apache Attack Helicopter, Openshaw.
Amid the stories about aircraft 451 and its distinguished service, Maj. Gen. William Crosby, Program Executive Officer for Army Aviation talked not about the aircraft, but about the people who made it what it was.
"I'm here to talk about you," Crosby said, "the Soldiers of the Texas National Guard, who stood up and said, ‘I want to make a difference. I want to give back to my country.' And it is your pride, your courage, your passion that makes that aircraft special. Because aircraft don't fly. Aviators fly, and they fly because of the mechanics and the crew chiefs who make them ready to fly."
Apache 451 has a notable and rich history. According to the 1-149th ARB, the aircraft supported OIF operations with a rescue mission, direct enemy engagements and 26 confirmed kills of hostile combatants.
During one such fire fight, a soldier was seriously wounded and due to the current proximity of the enemy, a traditional MEDEVAC was not possible. Learning of this, the crew of Apache 451 decided to assist this Soldier any way possible. The crew landed the aircraft and the co-pilot placed the wounded service member in his seat, while attaching himself to the aircraft by the wing and fuselage holds. This action allowed the soldier to be taken out of the area of engagement and receive the care he needed. For this the crew of Apache 451 received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
"There are a lot of sons and daughters in America who are alive because of that aircraft," said Col. Richard Adams, 36th CAB commander. "When Apache flies, nobody dies. I'm very privileged to lead these bunch of guys."
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2012 20:38 |
| Story ID: | 92290 |
| Location: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 317 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Texas Guardsmen bid farewell to aircraft model, by SGT Jeremy Spires, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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