Soldiers honor airborne legacy during Operation Sunset Canopy

JOINT FORCES TRAINING BASE LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Soldiers with the U.S. Army Reserve's 351st Civil Affairs Command conducted Operation Sunset Canopy Sept. 11 at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos. The exercise showcased the command's capabilities while honoring the paratroopers and airborne units who built and sustained its jump legacy.

More than a 100 paratroopers from the 351st CACOM and multiple participating units executed airborne and ground insertions during this exercise, demonstrating the command's ability to deploy when and where the Army needs it.

While exercise marked a transition in the command's force structure, the 351st Civil Affairs Command remains "Ready Forward," sharpening its ability to deliver trained, effective and agile civil affairs and psychological operations support for Army and joint operations worldwide.

For Col. Daniel Keenaghan, commander of the 351st CACOM, Operation Sunset Canopy was more than an exercise. It was a tribute to the generations of paratroopers who built the command's airborne capability.

"The history of the airborne stretches back to World War II, and the camaraderie that it builds among Soldiers really boils down to trust, because there's nothing closer to being in combat than exiting an aircraft, because your life truly is on the line," said Keenaghan. “We're celebrating not only the trust that we've had in the past, but we're pivoting towards the future.”

The exercise reflects a broader shift in how the command postures itself for future missions.

"We're building combat-ready, capable units of action as teams that can go forward… ready to work across the joint force, and work within the Army for the active, Guard and Reserve as one team," Keenaghan said.

That readiness was tested when Soldiers from across the command were called upon to come together for the operation.

"I gave a short notice [warning order] to my three brigades that we needed to be ready to execute tactical, civil affairs and psychological operations,” said Keenaghan. “Today we have Soldiers from all over the country here executing exactly that… [delivering] on time, on target, and it's awesome to be part of this team.”

After landing, Soldiers moved directly into civil affairs and psychological operations training, putting the tactical insertion to immediate use. Hailing from across the country, different brigades and different military occupational specialties came together to execute the mission.

For Sgt. David Schwartz, a civil affairs specialist and combat medic with Alpha Company, 426th CA Battalion, 358 CA Brigade, 351st CACOM, jumping out of the UH-60 Black Hawk was a moment that will stay with him.

"Jumping out of a Black Hawk is a little different than what we normally do, usually we jump from a C-17 or C-130," Schwartz said . “Though, you can only have about six to eight paratroopers on deck, three to four on each side. You sit down the whole way for the whole ride, which is pretty nice.”

The operation also gave Schwartz the opportunity to jump with an MC-6 parachute rather than the T-11 commonly used during airborne operations.

"The MC-6 is a little bit of a different parachute than what we normally use, usually it's a T-11," Schwartz said. The “T-11 is non-steerable while the MC-6 is steerable, but it went pretty well.”

For Schwartz, however, the significance of Operation Sunset Canopy extended beyond the aircraft or parachute.

"It means a lot to me personally, just because it’s a tried and true tradition of the American paratrooper." Schwartz said. “We have a very long legacy of the American paratrooper, and just being able to say that I did something similar to some of our predecessors before us is a really cool thing.”

As the 351st Civil Affairs Command's force structure evolves, Operation Sunset Canopy serves as a bridge between the paratroopers who built the command's airborne capability and the Soldiers now charged with carrying that legacy forward while remaining "Ready Forward" for the missions ahead.

For the latest updates and news from the visit the 351st Civil Affairs Command page on the U.S. Army Reserve website.