Illinois National Guard Support Vermont Relief Efforts Following Hurricane Irene

Story by Spc. Starr Ivey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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Sgt. Steven Mueller of Spaulding, a crew chief with Company A, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment unloads pallets off a Blackhawk Sept. 1 in southern Vermont.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (09/03/2011)(readMedia)-- Approximately 95 members of the Illinois National Guard's 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment (1st Bn., 106th AVN Regt.) arrived in Rome, N.Y. Aug. 28 and 29 and stayed until Sept. 2 to assist and coordinate relief efforts in Vermont in response to the wake of Hurricane Irene.

Units that provided hurricane relief in Vermont include: Headquarters and Headquarters Company; 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Peoria and elements of Company A, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Decatur; Company B, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Chicago; Company C and Company D, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment in Peoria; and 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Battalion in Peoria.

The rapid mobilization of Illinois National Guard units saw a convoy of military vehicles traversing five states and more than 850 miles of highway in just 48 hours. Air support in the form of six UH-60 Blackhawks and two CH-47 Chinooks flew to Griffiss Airfield in Rome from Chicago, Decatur and Peoria to provide air support in relief operations.

Of the 21 states the National Guard Bureau alerted in the wake of Hurricane Irene, Illinois was one of the fastest to respond. In addition to Illinois, West Virginia and Mississippi Guard Units also arrived at Griffiss Airfield in time to assist with relief efforts.

Lt. Col. Randy R. Sikowski of Decatur, Aviation Officer, with 1st Bn., 106th AVN Regt., addressed troops in a Tuesday morning briefing at Griffiss Airfield. Sikowski praised the troops for their quick reaction to the situation and outlined the overall goal of the mission at hand, emphasizing the need to conduct operations safely.

While the unit waited for orders, maintenance checks on all vehicles was a priority to ensure equipment and vehicles were ready as flight crews were busy performing daily aircraft maintenance inspections, conducting pre-flight checks and configuring flight plans.

Some of the soldiers were eager to put their skills and training to the test.

Spc. Angelo A. Losoya of Oak Lawn, a Blackhawk crew chief, with Company B, 1st Bn., 106th AVN Regt, said, "Chinooks always live by 'You call, we haul'. We're always ready for any missions that come our way."

Maj. Dennis W. Huffman of Heyworth, training and operations officer, with the 106th AVN Regt, gathered the Blackhawk flight crews on the tarmac at Griffiss for their pre-flight briefing shortly before noon Wednesday.

The mission objective was straightforward: four Blackhawks would fly to Vermont to load and drop food and water provided by FEMA to some of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Irene.

Shortly after the briefing, the four Blackhawks were airborne, making the 120 mile trip across the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York to the Army Aviation Support Facility in Burlington, Vermont for further instructions.

After re-fueling and another briefing by Lt. Col. John M. Johnston, State Army Aviation Officer with the Vermont National Guard, the Blackhawks left the Army Aviation Support Facility in teams of two toward Camp Williams.

At Camp Williams, each Blackhawk was loaded with 3,000 lbs. of Meals Ready to Eat and cases of bottled water. On the ground, soldiers stood ready to load every aircraft as quickly as possible.

In an effort to reach the greatest number of drop zones, the Blackhawks landed at designated targets, quickly unloaded their cargo and proceeded to the next pick-up zone and re-fuel as needed.

The crew of Blackhawk 457, Chief Warrant (4) Scott P. Wiley of Imperial, instructor pilot, 1st Lt. Amanda Lempke of Bloomington, pilot, Sgt. Steven Mueller of Spaulding, crew chief and Sgt. Daniel Freeman of Edinburg, crew chief, all from Company A, 1st Bn., 106th AVN Regt, made successful drops in the towns of Stockbridge and Bridgewater respectively.

Mary Oldenburg, a selectman for Bridgewater, greeted the Illinois Army National Guard black hawks as supplies were offloaded in a grassy clearing in town.

Oldenburg said that one of the most pressing concerns in Bridgewater was clearing roads that had been washed out by the storm making them impassable.

The MRE's and water are a welcome relief to residents still trapped in isolated areas until the roads can be cleared.

After reaching multiple locations and dropping several tons of supplies to residents in need in southern Vermont, the Blackhawks returned to their base of operations at Griffiss in time to watch the sunset.

While maintenance crews performed post-flight inspections on the aircraft in the fading light, Freeman reflected on the importance of providing humanitarian aid when needed.

"Stateside civilian support is important," said Freeman, a 22-year veteran, who volunteers for as many missions as he can. "That's what the Guard is about.

photo 1) U.S. Army photo by Spc. Starr Ivey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Sgt. Steven Mueller of Spaulding, a crew chief with Company A, 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment unloads pallets off a Blackhawk Sept. 1 in southern Vermont. Approximately 95 members of the Illinois National Guard arrived in Rome, New York Aug. 28 and 29 and stayed until Sept. 2 to assist and coordinate relief efforts in Vermont in response to the wake of Hurricane Irene.

photo 2) U.S. Army photo by Spc. Starr Ivey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Illinois National Guardsmen load boxes of water onto a Blackhawks Sept. 1. Approximately 95 members of the Illinois National Guard arrived in Rome, New York Aug. 28 and 29 and stayed until Sept. 2 to assist and coordinate relief efforts in Vermont in response to the wake of Hurricane Irene.

photo 3) U.S. Army photo by Spc. Starr Ivey, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ Illinois National Guard Soldiers load boxes of food supplies onto a Blackhawks Sept. 1. Approximately 95 members of the Illinois National Guard arrived in Rome, New York Aug. 28 and 29 and stayed until Sept. 2 to assist and coordinate relief efforts in Vermont in response to the wake of Hurricane Irene.