Story by Spc. Elizabeth Gorenc,
Camp Atterbury Public Affairs
EDINBURGH, Ind. -- Unphased by the lashing of the frigid winter air being forced through the helicopter, Soldiers meticulously aimed at targets below. Whooshing of the blades battled reverberation of the weapons for sole noise attention, but troops focused on each other's commands and the mission at hand.
Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y., conducted aerial gunnery, Feb. 23, at the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center.
The exercise qualified door gunners on M-240H machine guns firing from CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
"The great thing about our job is that we get to either train in different aspects of or complete our mission every time helicopters go up," said Maj. David Snow, battalion operations officer. "Helicopters go up every day, so I feel that we are very lucky to be able to get so much hands-on experience."
The general support aviation battalion has four main missions. The unit completes medical evacuations, medium lift, command and control and air traffic control services.
Medium lift consists of hauling personnel and supplies. Supplies can either be loaded within the aircraft, or are transported using exterior slings.
Command and control combine several different aspects into one mission. This mission involves personnel transportation, limited air assaults, and command consultation.
"Computers in the back of helicopters assist this mission by allowing Soldiers to command the battle without leaving the helicopter," said Snow.
The unit is equipped with 20 UH-60 Black Hawks and 12 CH-47 Chinooks.
The active duty unit was created in 2005 and was immediately deployed to Afghanistan before it was fully established.
Nearly half of the 570 Soldiers assigned to the battalion are currently conducting training exercises here at CAMJTC.
"This is the first time we have been able to train in the field as a team," said Snow. "So far, we are all successfully completing the missions and exceeding the standard."
The unit arrived at CAJMTC, Jan. 19, for the first training step in preparation for the unit's deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before deploying overseas, the 310th is scheduled to conduct training in Pennsylvania, Georgia, California and Louisiana.