FRIDAY FOTO (February 7, 2020)

Coming or Going?

(U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Sarah Sangster)

An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flight crew member monitors a soldier during evaluation of air assault instructors at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, on January 31, 2020.

Air assault instructors  teach other soldiers — as well as airmen, sailors and Marines — mastery of rappelling techniques and sling load procedures in preparation for insertion, evacuation, and pathfinder missions with multipurpose and and assault helicopters.

Here’s a short video about air assault instructors. And another video on the zero day obstacle course at Air Assault School.

FRIDAY FOTO (August 18, 2017)

… with wings as eagles.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Daniel Love)

A bald eagle soars by a paratrooper descending from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The soldier is a member of the 25th Infantry Division’s 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). The photo was taken July 27, 2017.

If you’re curious about the quote in the headline above the photo, it comes from the Book of Isiah, 40:31. The King James Version, which is most often quoted version is below.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

(Courtesy of Bible Hub: http://biblehub.com/isaiah/40-31.htm)

One Oscar-nominated film where the Bible verse played a prominent role is  Battleground, a 1949 film that, long before Band of Brothers, told the story of the 101st Airborne Division (the Screaming Eagles), when they were surrounded by the Germans at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge five years earlier.

We couldn’t find the film clip on YouTube where a dejected soldier played by Marshall Thompson quotes the verse — first, mockingly when there is no airdrop of badly needed supplies and ammo — and then joyously when the clouds break and relief comes through.

But here’s another famous scene from that film that seems to address some of the issues America faces today.

FRIDAY FOTO Extra (August 21, 2015)

Rugged Country.

Defense Dept. photo by Lt. Kristine Volk, Resolute Support Public Affairs

U.S. Army Sergeant Major Jody Volz, adviser for Train, Advise and Assist Command South in Afghanistan, flies over Kandahar, Afghanistan in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter,  with Afghan National Army (ANA) and TAAC-S leaders to gain situational awareness and a shared understanding of key terrain in the area.

The ANA is responsible for security in Afghanistan and works closely with coalition partners from TAAC-S, a part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. Resolute Support took over from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) when NATO’s combat role in Afghanistan ended last December.

Click on the photo to get a better look at this forbidding terrain. To see more photos from this mission, click here.

FRIDAY FOTO (June 20, 2014)

Black Hawks Up

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Cossel

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the 1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, depart Camp Roberts, California in a tactical formation. The Black Hawks were on their way to pick up California National Guard soldiers for an air assault mission. The troops also trained for disaster relief and emergency response.

FRIDAY FOTO: October 4, 2013

Rock Climbing

(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Peter Smedberg)

A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter navigates a mountain pass in Paktia province, Afghanistan on its way to Kabul. The crew is assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Falcon.

Paktia, in eastern Afghanistan, has been a dangerous place.

To see more photos, click here.

FRIDAY FOTO (September 13, 2013)

Shadow of a Black Hawk

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Chad Dulac

Troops troops prepare to be hoisted up to a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter hovering above them during training at Forward Operating Base Farah in  Afghanistan. The training included instructions on how to load and secure a rescue stretcher or a single- or two-person sling.

Click on the photo to see a larger image.

To see more photos of the Black Hawk and the instructors and trainees in action, click here.