By Army Staff Sgt. Jorge Infriago
South Carolina National Guard
COLUMBIA, S.C (7/17/12). - Soldiers from
the South Carolina Army National Guard’s B Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th
Aviation Regiment took part in unique training in preparation for an upcoming
deployment while at the same time giving an old bird one more chance to soar.
The Soldiers from the unit airlifted an
H-13B Sioux helicopter from Pierre, South Dakota, to its new home at the South
Carolina Military Museum, which focuses on the history of the South Carolina
National Guard.
The Sioux is a three-man observation and
basic training helicopter that was used by the U.S. military throughout the
1950s. The Sioux is often said to be the birth of Army rotary wing aviation and
it has a significant role in the history of the South Carolina Army Guard.
“The helicopter was significant to South
Carolina,” said E.G. “Buddy” Sturgis, director of the South Carolina Military
Museum. “It was the first rotor wing in South Carolina Army (Guard) aviation.”
The only problem was how to get the
newly acquired helicopter down to South Carolina. That’s where the South
Carolina Army Guard stepped in. The Soldiers from B Company have been preparing
for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan by performing cross-country flying
missions flying the CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
The Soldiers from the unit needed additional
cross-country flying time for their deployment and unit members jumped at the
chance to perform this unique historical mission to help transport the helicopter
to its new home.
“I think it was nice to be involved in
the aircraft’s last flight from South Dakota to South Carolina before the
aircraft’s final home at the museum,” said Spc. Tommy Hunt, flight engineer
with B Company.
The Sioux is scheduled to go on display
at the South Carolina Military Museum in the near future. South Carolina Army
Guard members and museum staff are working together to restore the piece of
history to its original condition.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment