Soldiers from Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company B, 2-135th Aviation, practice sling load operations aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 in Grand Island, Neb. The exercise, done in preparation for the unit’s annual training, offered Soldiers the opportunity to access the underbelly of the helicopters and familiarize themselves with sling load operations to include attaching procedures. These procedures would be widely used if ever deployed to active combat. Nebraska Army National Guard photo by SPC Chris Sheen

Soldiers from Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company B, 2-135th Aviation, practice sling load operations aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 in Grand Island, Neb. The exercise, done in preparation for the unit’s annual training, offered Soldiers the opportunity to access the underbelly of the helicopters and familiarize themselves with sling load operations to include attaching procedures. These procedures would be widely used if ever deployed to active combat. Nebraska Army National Guard photo by SPC Chris Sheen

Soldiers from Nebraska Army National Guard’s Company B, 2-135th Aviation, practice sling load operations aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter at the Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 in Grand Island, Neb. The exercise, done in preparation for the unit’s annual training, offered Soldiers the opportunity to access the underbelly of the helicopters and familiarize themselves with sling load operations to include attaching procedures. These procedures would be widely used if ever deployed to active combat. Nebraska Army National Guard photo by SPC Chris Sheen