FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Jumping out of a Chinook is not for the weak of heart, and members of Company C, Long Range Surveillance, 1st Squadron, 134th Cavalry Regiment, Nebraska Army National Guard, proved that June 11 as the Soldiers jumped from a CH-47 Chinook into Milford Lake.
"Luckily we rehearsed this in April," said Staff Sgt. Josh Meyers. "I don't think the wind was too much of a factor. We got two LRS teams and zodiac (boats) out … It's been great working in conjunction with three different states and joint Army. They've really embraced us here. I really look forward to coming back."
The helocast operation took six months of planning and training. Helocasting is an airborne technique used by small unit, special operations forces to insert into a military area of operations. The unit is flown by helicopter to a maritime insertion point. Once there, the aircraft assumes an altitude just above the water's surface. Team members then exit the aircraft and enter the water.
"We had Missouri National Guard and Kansas National Guard dropping Nebraska National Guardsmen, with Oklahoma National Guard flying over so the LRS could get out to fully observe for the Kansas National Guard working under the 1st Infantry Division," said Steve Crusinberry, director of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. "If that's not total Army, I don't know what is."
Members of the unit worked throughout the operation, ensuring everything went smooth for the jumpers. Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Winn was one of the officers who took part. He was not new to the jumps and had previously done 16 static jumps; but this was the first time he had taken part in a helocast operation.
"The best part about it is getting back to the roots of what LRS is intended to do," Winn said. "It just puts one more tool in our tool belt, so to speak. To come out here and train with the support of Fort Riley and the 1st ID makes it even more special. Looking down the road, one, two, three years, what we think this is going to evolve into, looking at the support of what the 1st ID is willing to give us, I think it's a great way to mesh that guard and active duty together into what we should be doing, so a lot of things went into making this special … This stuff is not only a mission enabler, but it gets people to stay in their unit and it's really a reward for these guys."
The event was special for Meyers who re-enlisted while up in the Chinook.
"It was awesome," Meyers said. "I've got 17 years in and this took me over my 20. I've re-enlisted in different countries, but nothing as cool as this."
Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Frank, 1st Inf. Div. deputy commanding general, was also there for the operation to show support from the 1st Infantry Division to the unit.
"The most important thing is partnership between 1st Infantry, Fort Riley and our Midwest National Guard partners and this LRS company and all the training opportunities they had here at Fort Riley based on their interactions with our DPTMS providing them different training venues, and what they've been able to do over their entire two-week AT cycle," Frank said. "It's just phenomenal as far as what they've been able to improve inside their formation in those two weeks. I think that's the biggest thing about this total Army partnership."
Frank said he was impressed with the helocast operation.
"In one phrase, very 'hooah,'" he said. "For this unit, that is a task that we ask them to be able to do."
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