Excellence and Evolution
Army National Guard (ARNG) Aviation / By COL J. Ray Davis and COL (Ret.) Kevin Scherrer: During this annual update from your Army National Guard, I’d like to tell you not only where we are, but where we came from, and where we’re heading. Like our Active Component counterparts, our Guard Aviation Force was born not too long ago, and evolved from a lightweight, fixed-wing, tangential capability, into a rotary- and fixed-wing, manned- and unmanned, central and key player on the modern battlefield. And we’re both headed in the same direction: networked, lethal, agile, survivable, and capable of adeptly supporting...
Learn MoreLow Testosterone
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By MAJ Jason MacDonnell, M.D.: Q: Lately I have heard a lot about the symptoms of low testosterone in men. Who should be tested and if there is a problem, how is it treated? > FS: With the increase in direct to consumer advertising and men’s specialty clinics, the access to treatments like testosterone therapy are on the rise. In fact, over the past decade the use of testosterone has more than tripled in the U.S. Before pursuing a long-term treatment like hormone replacement, patients should understand the risks and benefits to make an informed...
Learn MoreCarry On Medical Equipment
Tech Talk / By Mr. Nathan Proper and Mr. Darin Boyer: Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) mission priority is to provide vital medical treatment to the wounded within the Golden Hour, which is the time period following traumatic injury being sustained and in which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent death. The Golden Hour standard was mandated by the Secretary of Defense in 2009. EMC aircraft test chamber at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida / U.S. AIR FORCE COURTESY PHOTO Approximately 600 H-60 Black Hawk helicopters support the MEDEVAC mission and are equipped with various medical devices...
Learn MoreSoldierization: The Cornerstone of Individual Military Training
128th Aviation Brigade / By CPT Christopher Quinlan: The Army’s Soldierization process is the conceptual cornerstone which determines the character, competence, and commitment of an American Soldier. Most critical, the cornerstone, or foundational stone, is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. Soldierization continues from basic training through advanced individual training at the 1-222 Avn. Bn. for Army Aviation Soldiers./ 128th AVN BDE PHOTO All other stones are set in reference to this one, thus determining the soundness of the entire structure. Soldierization is the process by which civilian volunteers are transformed into capable and trusted...
Learn MoreFarewell
Branch Command Sergeant Major / By CSM Eric C. Thom: Now as I prepare for this edition of ARMY AVIATION magazine, I am struck by the fact that it will be the last article I write as your branch command sergeant major. So I am going to use it as my opportunity to say farewell to you and everyone else in the Aviation Enterprise. CSM Thom (kneeling, left) took time while visiting the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade to join Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment for PT, Sept. 16, 2015 at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. 1SG Antonio Ruiz (kneeling,...
Learn MoreArmed Scout Helicopter Project Office Update
Rotary WIng / By Mr. Jimmy E. Downs, Mr. William J. Petree, and Ms. Christian Sumner: In its last year as a project-level organization, the Armed Scout Helicopter (ASH) Project Directorate focused on its final mission sets – divesting the Army’s remaining single engine rotary wing platforms, providing safety-critical sustainment for aircraft remaining in service through the end of divestment, and preparing to draw down the project-level organization into a product office by mid-2016. U.S. ARMY 2ND SQUADRON, 6TH CAVALRY REGIMENT PHOTO The 2013 Aviation Restructure Initiative (ARI) calls for the divestment of the OH-58A/C and TH-67 training helicopters over...
Learn More1109th TASMG – Helping to Bring 101st CAB Aircraft Home
Spotlight / By SGT Jeanne Bujalski: Working together with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade and an aviation contractor team from Illesheim, Germany, Soldiers from the Connecticut Army National Guard 1109th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group (TASMG) mission focused on monitoring and offloading Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters from C-5 Galaxy aircraft, staging them and loading them on a naval vessel for transport back to the United States. SGT Jeffrey Monteleone assists with unloading a Chinook aircraft from a C-5 Galaxy at the Naval Station in Rota, Spain. Throughout the months of December and January,...
Learn MoreWhat to Give Up In Order to Move Forward in 2016
Family Forum / By Judy Konitzer: So here we are having made our New Year’s resolutions, and I know that I am among the distinguished group of those who consciously did this. It all started when the Christmas decorations came down, followed by the desire to pursue a thorough house cleaning and then declutter and maybe even resolve to start downsizing. When moving frequently isn’t a consideration because the Army isn’t changing our duty station any longer, these resolutions have become even more important to me. I personally feel vindicated when I am able to take a large load of...
Learn MoreApache Helicopter Project Office Update
Rotary WIng / By COL Jeffrey E. Hager with COL (Ret.) Robin D. Cofer: The Army’s Aviation Restructure Initiative focuses the attack and scout roles on the AH-64 Apache, combined with Unmanned Aerial Systems. The Apache fleet is transitioning to one of the most technologically advanced weapon systems on the battlefield. The AH-64D Longbow Block I aircraft are completely out of Active Duty units and less than 100 exist in the Army Reserve, National Guard, and the training base at Fort Rucker. Block II Longbows will begin returning to the production facility in 2018. We begin fielding the 5th AH-64E...
Learn MoreCorneal Refractive Surgery (CRS)
Ask the Flight Surgeon / By CPT Albert J. Lee, MD: Q:Are Soldiers on flight status allowed to have corrective eye surgery like LASIK or PRK? If so, what are the differences among the types of surgeries? YOUR CAPTION HERE FS: Corneal refractive surgery is becoming widely accepted in the aviation community. Currently U.S. Army Aeromedical Activity (USAAMA or AAMA) waives three types of corneal refractive surgery – LASIK, LASEK, and PRK. For Soldiers already on flight status, careful planning that involves the command and medical provider is needed to ensure the mission is not affected and the Soldier has enough...
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