Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Beloved 'Guard Copter 368' flies its final mission By Staff Sgt. Roberto Di Giovine
                South Carolina National Guard
 GREENVILLE, S.C. - Aviators tend to fall in love with their ships. "Guard Copter 368" is one of those aircraft that has earned its crew's love through deployments, reliability and legacy. After 10 years of service with Detachment 1, Company B, 2-238th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), "368," a CH-47D Chinook, departed for its last flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Summit Aviation in Delaware, Aug. 16, 2016, where it will be either resold through auction or dismantled. On its final journey, before 'retiring' from the South Carolina National Guard, 368 completed one more mission by flying an additional crew of South Carolina Army National Guard aviators to Fort Drum, New York for the pickup of a CH-47F Chinook from Company B, 3-10 GSAB 'Colossal,' 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain (Infantry Light) Division. The good ship 368 has been with Det.1 since 2007, through both the 2009 and the 2013 deployments to Afghanistan, and it has never let its crews down. 'It flew well, never had major problems, and even allowed its crews to claim an interesting pedigree. 368 was built after Desert Storm, to replace two other Chinooks lost during the war. It was one of the only three 'true D-model,' and not an A, B, or C-model converted into a D,' said U.S. Army Sgt. Tommy Hunt, a technical inspector with over 12 years of experience on Chinooks, versions C, D, and F. Even U.S. Army Maj. Bryan Lake, a West Point Graduate Class of 2001, and current Army Aviation Support Facility 2 maintenance officer, showed a particular attachment for 368 while preparing for the aircraft's last journey. When inferring the 'end of 368' he said, 'lets not talk about that,' whispering those words if in proximity of 368, as if 'she' could hear and see the end approaching. In charge of the mission, Lake flew 368 all the way to Fort Drum, where the experienced—by some standards old— crewmembers landed the [Vietnam era] olive drab green 368 in the middle of the sage color-painted 10th Mountain Division's F-model. To have both the gracefully aged men and the equally gracefully-aged machines parked on the flight line at Fort Drum, in the middle of several, younger men, women and machines was the defining moment of 368's last adventure. Suddenly ‘368' was a dark green museum piece, with a palmetto tree on the nose, sitting in the middle of new ships, all sage in color, and inherently full of life. Similarly, as the local crowd of young 10th Mountain Division maintainers and flyers gathered to see the museum piece - most of the active-duty Soldiers had never seen a D-model before—the experienced South Carolina National Guard Soldiers started feeling a little like 368: proud but somewhat old. This is where the journey started turning from melancholic to a validating, somewhat epic, rite of passage. Curiosity for the museum-like Guard members and machine lasted just a few hours, and seamlessly transitioned into a more appropriate tribute to the legacy of a good ship like Guard Copter 368, and its crewmembers who began to exchange stories, experience, and technical knowledge with the curious 10th Mountain aviators. The flying museum turned into knowledge and experience, with a touch of legacy, making the last portion of the 368's voyage a beautiful and meaningful experience. Now with young "793" as a wingman, 368 left Fort Drum, Aug. 18, and flew in formation, over West Point first, on the Hudson River, through Manhattan, around the Statue of Liberty, and finally landed at Summit Aviation to lay to rest next to "226," a sister CH-47D that used to belong to South Carolina's Det.1, Co. B 2-238th but its career ended prematurely due to a structural issue. It is believed that a meaningful flight and a great story deserve a better ending than a slow death by graveyard's dismantling for its protagonist—368. Upon inspection by the technicians with Summit Aviation, the South Carolina National Guard aviators were told that 368 was not going to die, after all. Because of her pedigree and above average maintenance conditions, 368 was now scheduled to be sold as a fly-worthy aircraft to either a commercial buyer or a foreign military during an auction in the following weeks. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Greg Castles, flight engineer and platoon sergeant with Det.1 2-238th GSAB, summarized the joy and pride of a legacy that will continue, 'I am glad to hear she will keep flying somewhere [around the world], because she is a good aircraft and deserves it. She will keep writing pages of flying history, and that is just fantastic.' Completing the crews for this mission: Chief Warrant Officer 5 Heyward Lindler, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tommy Perry, Chief Warrant Officer 2 James Pressley, Staff Sgt. Richie Jackson, and Spec. Rich Tedder.
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 3 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 10 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil