Thea Lau, 26th APS aerial porter, said, “It is an incredible experience. Offering her ground perspective, Staff Sgt. Thresher elaborated that the realism and numerous iterations enhance his unit’s ability to support the state of Texas for Hurricane Harvey-like rescues, ferrying water buckets for firefighting, or responding to flash floods. This keeps you focused on the task while highlighting the importance of maintaining your situational awareness.” “With a live hook-up team under the aircraft, it increases the stress level. “At home-station training, we may have to simulate external unit actions,” Thresher said. The air mission commander, Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Thresher, C/2-149 Aviation instructor-pilot, offering the aviator’s perspective, said the added realism of training with the Airmen was invaluable. Combining their training with nerves of steel, the ground team nimbly hooked each load of cargo to the steadily flown aircraft and witnessed its departure from the landing zone. In a masterfully orchestrated display of military precision, the Guardsmen from C/2-149 Aviation deftly piloted the five-ton UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters above the Reservists from the 433rd Airlift Wing.
The scenario had a team of aerial porters receive air-dropped relief supplies, then re-rig the humanitarian aid for the Soldiers’ pin point emplacement in an otherwise inaccessible location. The second mission of sling loading on June 10 saw the movement of 32,000 pounds of cargo by helicopter at JBSA-Camp Bullis.
“The reconnaissance flight verified the TDP marking panels were well-placed and that the landing zones would work for the Black Hawks - important steps to ensure our missions were productive and safe.” “The pathfinder team and I had established and marked the touchdown points earlier in the day,” Harp said. Wade Harp, 26th Aerial Port Squadron special handling supervisor, served as the ground team’s NCO in charge, and flew with the air mission commander and the pathfinder for the critical overflight and touchdown surveys.
The aerial reconnaissance mission on June 9 provided the planning team with a vital operational perspective of the key training sites at JBSA-Camp Bullis for the scheduled events. With masterfully integrated support from the 433rd Airlift Wing’s two aerial port squadrons, Air Force Personnel Operations Activity, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and 502nd Security Forces Group, the multi-service missions saw the successful completion of aerial reconnaissance, sling loading of cargo, MEDEVAC hoists, personnel recovery and the simultaneous operation of multiple helicopter landing zones. Spearheaded by Company C, 2-149 Aviation, of the Texas Army National Guard at Martindale Army Airfield, Airmen and Soldiers from the Reserve, active duty and National Guard flawlessly executed two weeks of high-octane planning and training that sharpened their warfighting skills to a razor-sharp edge. In a dramatic demonstration of joint, total force teaming, more than 200 San Antonio-based service members pushed the exercise envelope as part of Operation Lone Star Vigilance, moving 16 tons of vital relief supplies by helicopter, answering seven time-sensitive calls for medical evacuation, and extracting six downed aircrews caught behind enemy lines.
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