Fires in the Sky

by SSG Vincent Abril

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters descended as Soldiers were waiting below. They endured hurricane-force winds and flying ground debris, as small rocks, dirt, and sand ricocheted past them like pellets from a shotgun. U.S. and Republic of Korea Soldiers stood strong, bearing the unforgiving winds as the helicopters made the critical pick-up.

Soldiers from A Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade trained with ROK soldiers from C Company, 307th Field Artillery, March 15 - 16, near Incheon, South Korea. The Soldiers worked closely together and perfected their skills, sling-loading M-105 towed Howitzers and moving them to a fictitious combat zone. The exercise solidified a cohesive working relationship between the two units, which would foster effective operations if ever needed.

Training for this event began weeks earlier as A Company, 2-2nd Avn. trained their Korean counterparts how to sling-load artillery pieces. The two day training exercise consisted of a dry run the first day, followed by the execution the second day.

New to the Army, Louisville, Ky., native Pvt. Benjamin Witt with A Co., 2-2nd Avn., 2nd CAB, felt the training was important and valuable, as this was his first time training with foreign soldiers.

“This is a new experience for me. When I joined the Army, I didn’t think anything about training with Korean soldiers. [But, then] I came to Korea and was told I would be working hand-in-hand with them,” Witt said.

Soon after Soldiers finished rigging the artillery pieces, the cannons lined the landing zone, ready for pick-up. In the distance, the Black Hawk helicopters could be heard approaching from behind the mountains and city apartments. When in sight, Soldiers from both units readied themselves for the sling-loading process.

Soldiers positioned themselves on the landing zone and could be seen from afar, with their bright orange vests, as they guided the helicopters to their targets. The ROK soldiers kneeled in a straight line, with each placing their hand on the shoulders of the person in front of them, until they were called forward. Once called forward, they worked diligently as the aircraft hovered over them. Within a few seconds, the lead soldier hooked the load, the signal was given, and the aircraft lifted the nearly-4,000-pound artillery piece, and flew away to a nearby training location.

The commander of A co. 2-2 Avn., Cpt. Stephen Abrams was very enthusiastic about the outcome of this training.

“The best part of all of this was seeing our Soldiers training with their ROK counterparts and, at the same time, sustaining and perfecting our own skill sets necessary for our unit to carry out its mission,” Abrams said.

As training came to an end, both units were left with experience that will certainly enable them to “Fight Tonight,” while fostering a good U.S.—ROK relationship.

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