New York Army National Guard aircrews from the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Battalion, provided tactical airlift to assist the training of cadets from the Siena College Army ROTC during their spring semester tactical training April 5 at Camp Johnson in Colchester, Vermont.
The flight mission involved a multi-ship air insertion of cadets from the Siena Mohawk Battalion to Camp Johnson for a three-day field training exercise (FTX). The cadets practiced squad tactics alongside ROTC cadets from the University of Vermont’s Green Mountain Battalion as part of the combined training exercise.
“We do training exercises once a semester,” said Cadet Camille Valenza, a platoon leader with the Siena ROTC program. “It’s pretty awesome, because we never get to do stuff like [flying in Black Hawks].”
The opportunity to fly in helicopters happens only once a year, if ever, for the cadets, Valenza said.
During the hour-long flight from Albany, New York, to Camp Johnson, the Army National Guard pilots gave the future officers some thrills. Once clear of residential areas, the four UH-60 Black Hawk pilots increased the speed of their aircraft, made some sharp turns and quickly dropped altitude as part of their flight maneuvers.
Upon arrival at the landing zone at Camp Johnson, the cadets rushed out to begin the tactical portion of their training while the 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation Battalion crews refueled their aircraft and returned to Albany to pick up the next group of cadets.
Crewmembers provided static training for how to safely enter and exit the aircraft to prepare the cadets for their training. Crews also practiced their National Guard aircrew skills for air assault and air insertion missions.
SGT Joseph Roth, a crew chief with the 3-142nd Aviation, said the training support for the ROTC cadets gave the aircrews a chance to refine their multi-ship flight training, sustain their readiness for night vision operations and rehearse for more complex air assault missions.
The 3-142nd aircrews will deploy a flight company later this summer in support of a combat training center rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
“We get to work with other units and different skill levels,” SGT Roth said. “Everybody is at a different level of readiness right now. Some people are at the crawl phase, walk phase or run phase. Each unit operates differently, so it gives us the opportunity to work with a wide scope of unit readiness levels.”
The Green Mountain Battalion cadets from Vermont lifted off in the early evening and were given a ride to their tactical landing zone as the sun set over the horizon.
As the cadets moved on to their nightlong tactical training, the 3-142nd aircrews prepared to return to their flight facility in Latham, New York, using night vision goggles to maintain currency and proficiency.
BY SPC Andrew Valenza, New York NATIONAL GUARD
