BLACKSTONE, Va. – Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, conducted sling load training Dec. 7at Blackstone Army Airfield.
Soldiers who are graduates of the Army’s Air Assault and Pathfinder schools shared their skills to help build operational knowledge within the unit.
The Red Dragons conducted the training to prepare for an upcoming exportable combat training capabilities exercise and a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
Sling load operations enable the rapid deployment of critical equipment and supplies to remote and often inaccessible areas.
“This training helps us to meet one of our mission essential tasks of being able to move equipment and supplies via helicopter,” said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Wilcox, platoon sergeant and readiness noncommissioned officer.
Soldiers learned how to properly prepare a Humvee and a pallet of supplies for aerial transport. They meticulously inspected the vehicle to ensure nothing could come loose and cause a hazard from the helicopter’s rotor wash. Then, using specialized rigging equipment, each load was prepared and inspected to ensure it would remain stable and secure during flight. Once certified, each load was hooked up to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and lifted for flight, demonstrating the unit’s proficiency in coordinating air and ground operations.
“We really relied on the skills of our Soldiers who are Pathfinder, Air Assault, or Sling Load Inspector Course qualified so that they could conduct the training on how to build the loads correctly and then certify the loads to ensure they could be moved safely,” said Capt. Patrick Crute, company commander.
Coordinating the aviation assets was one of the first things to be accomplished during the planning phase for the training, with aviation support by the Virginia Army National Guard’s Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.
“I thought this training was a great way to utilize the skills we have in our unit with those that have been through either Pathfinder or Air Assault school,” said Sgt. Ivo Garner, an assistant squad leader with Headquarters Company. “This type of training is good for helping to encourage Soldiers to pursue those schools and enhance their own skills.”
Sling load offers an alternate method of cargo transportation, especially into areas that are either too difficult or too dangerous to reach via ground transport. It can also allow for cargo to be moved more easily and efficiently when the item’s shape or dimensions may hinder other methods of transport or when time is a critical factor.
“Being able to conduct sling load operations out on the battlefield increases the commander’s movement abilities,” Crute said. “For infantry, everything is about movement and maneuver. We can use a sling load combined with an air assault to pre-position a unit and not have to travel overland through potentially dangerous areas.”