Combat Helicopter Pilots Association, Inc. 800•832•5144 [email protected] PO Box 2585, Peachtree City, GA 30269 SEP 2017 In This Issue From the President From The President Notice to rotary wing – crew and pilots - combat vets of the Gulf War, Where Was I on 9-11-01? Iraq, Afghanistan and other post- Documentary on Vietnam Vietnam conflicts: we want more of you as members. We would like to CHPA Reunion 2017 involve you in leadership, and we CHPA Reunion Next Year want your stories for this newsletter. Veterans Corner We’ll even help with the writing if you will call us. Help us preserve your Just Another Dustoff Mission legacy and ours . Jack Bailey Christmas Box Program [email protected] It is an honor to have been elected President of (Board meetings, scholarships, organizational filings, the Combat Helicopter Pilot Association (CHPA). I’m awards, annual conference and trade shows). I believe very proud of this organization, what it stands for and this mix of priorities best utilizes the volunteer resources what it provides its members and the community at available, focuses the organization on “what is large. I look forward to these next 2 years in my attempt important” and enables us to be more dynamic with our to advance the organization and “leave it better than I communication and marketing. As I orient the Board on found it” for the next President. this new path, I’m asking for your understanding as When I accepted the position at the 2017 Annual change sometimes creates challenges. Conference and Business Meeting in Plano, Texas, I I welcome feedback and encourage all members to made it a point in my remarks to talk about you, our contact me as you feel necessary. This is your members and your service to the United States. You, organization and again, I serve you in this role. who collectively logged more than 440,000 flying hours Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity in in combat and sacrificed so much in your life for this this first President’s Message to thank Rich Miller for his nation, are who I serve in this role. Thank you for the many years of service to this organization and for the opportunity to do so. very hard work he has done as the former President. He My priorities are threefold for 2018: new membership left “big shoes to fill”, but in his new role as Board and retention; advancing our use of technology, the Chairman, I’m grateful I can still draw on him for web and social media; and building a stable, permanent guidance and advice. cadence that best supports the myriad of activities and My very best to all of you. events our organization manages in the course of a year CHAIRMAN’S CORNER - I heard this axiom somewhere, thought it humorous, and occasionally appropriate for a leadership role. “ Being President of anything is like running a cemetery. You’ve got lots of people under you but nobody is listening. “ But that is not true for my two year tenure as your President. I want to give credit where it is very much deserved. I was extremely fortune to have at my side the best people to provide solid suggestions and advise, help develop plans and policy, and work hard to carry them out with the goal of continuing CHPA’s legacy. A strong Thank You to all of those in the leadership positions, the dedicated volunteers, and the membership of our organization for helping with the progress that has been made with respect to that goal. At the annual business meeting, I turned the gavel over to Jack; an individual who understands that progress does not happen if one is marching in place. I have no doubt that he will be successful. His success will be CHPA’s success. Being in a leadership position is hard work, but it also rewarding. I was indeed rewarded. CHPA members it has been an honor to serve you . Rich Miller Do you have Patches? Several of you have graciously donated patches or pictures of them to CHPA. Please dig through your old patches and consider donating or taking a picture of it and sending to us for inclusion in the newsletter. Email to [email protected] Mail to CHPA, PO Box 2585, Peachtree, GA 30269 Reunions and Gatherings 57th Assault 179th Assault Helicopter Helicopter Company Company 2017 Reunion in Las 2017 Reunion in Nashville Vegas October 16th October 5 th through 8th. 5 - 8 through 20th. Brentwood, TN Contact Joe Sottile Contact Tom Messenger [email protected] [email protected] (602) 284-6404 or 708-203-6096 Stanley Steenbock [email protected] (985) 373 -3948 Where Was I on 9-11-01? At Fort Rucker, of Course! By Patricia G. Baker, LTC (Ed.D) Although it seems was the C2 (Command & Control Company in the uncanny for an aviator to Assault Helicopter Battalion) unit for the division and be at ‘Mother Rucker’ on exactly the sort of Blackhawk unit I wanted for such an awful and command. The part he did not tell me was that he auspicious day, there I needed to set the command slate across his brigade to was about to graduate begin the preparations to deploy to a new second front from AVCCC on 9-11. I in the coming war with Iraq. was a recently promoted I took command the first week of November 2002, Captain just finishing flew GEN Shinseki and MG Odierno a week later as Aviation Captains’ Career they conferred on war plans for 4ID entering the Arabian Course and was slated to peninsula, then readied my unit for war. We frantically be in a 10 a.m. ceremony logged flight time trying to season more junior UH-60L at the Rucker Museum. aviators with additional flight under NVGs, doing several Driving from the BOQs in my Class A uniform toward the multi-ship training missions to improve our formation front gate of post I was listening to NPR. The 1997 flying, and prepping all the B Co personnel with the Cadillac SLS radio had great reception despite the hilly equipment, vaccinations and other deployment checklist portion of post, but I could not believe my ears. The items for an on-call departure. In late January 2003 we NPR announcer broke in to the regularly scheduled flew the eight Bravo aircraft to the port of Beaumont, TX programming to announce that the twin towers had been and returned to Fort Hood for final preparations. On 19 hit. The world had just taken a turn for the surreal. March I sat in my on-post house and watched the war Upon arriving to the Museum, there were only four of begin on TV, I packed my duffle bags, flight suits, and us that showed up for the ceremony and were staring at left from Gray Army Airfield for Kuwait on 29 March each other in the museum parking lot. The museum 2003. was locked up, none of the 1-145th Avn Rgmt cadre I took 42 Banshee aviators and crew chiefs and left were there, and the four of us just stood shrugging our behind a two-year old son and a husband that worked shoulders in our Class A uniforms wondering what this as a paramedic at the base hospital. When I returned in meant. Would we simply get our 1059 forms and shuffle March of 2004, I came home with more than an Air on to CASSS at Leavenworth? Would we all be Medal and bags full of filthy flight suits. The first few redirected immediately to our next duty assignments nights when I returned I could not sleep in my bed, it and skip schooling in lieu of a declaration of war? All was too soft after sleeping on a discarded Iraqi the four of us Captains knew standing in the Fort Rucker bedframe on Tikrit Airfield for the last year. I left a fresh Museum parking lot was that the metal pylons had gone faced, 28 year old Captain and returned a 29 yr old up blocking the front gate that we could see from the combat commander with deep lines in my forehead and Museum. We knew we were sequestered on post, but stoicism in my demeanor. beyond that, we were dumbstruck as to what would My sense of aviation as an adventure leaving the happen next. 101st AASLT was replaced with the reality that aviation Having just completed my first aviation assignment is high risk in a warzone and I was glad to be home alive at 5-101st Avn Rgt, 159th Cbt Avn Bde, 101st AASLT, I with my 504 hours of combat time. Just a year prior I knew this would impact my future, but on 9-11-01 I was hemming and hawing over a vehicle purchase, after simply did not grasp that it would change the course of OIFI the decision-making was in a different league my entire career. I had left a four month old baby at Fort having spent a year choosing which mechanical defects Campbell, KY with my ex-husband at our house in to still fly airframes with on high risk infiltrations and Clarksville, TN to attend the AVCCC. When I returned when to go weapons free three clicks RP inbound to the after CASSS in October, 2011, I knew I was bound for LZ. To put it mildly, 9-11 changed everything. And this Fort Hood with Air Assault wings on my chest, 500 aviator was never the same wide-eyed farm girl that saw hours of UH-60 time and a PCS to a new duty the military as an adventurous career, but was steeled a assignment in 4ID.