PYEONGTAEK, South Korea –
In a tall reed field where Korean
roe deer hopped around, a group of young South Korean soldiers stood with
camouflage faces, fully-packed rucksacks on their backs and K-2 rifles in their
hands.
The South Korean Soldiers watched and waited for their cue. At
once, they all moved orderly and systematically to a CH-47F Chinook - most of
them for the very first time.
Soldiers, from Company B, 3rd General
Support Aviation Battalion, or GSAB, 2nd Aviation Regiment, 2nd Combat Aviation
Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, conducted a cold load training exercise in
support of their Republic of Korea army, or ROKA, counterparts from the 603rd
Air Assault Battalion, at LZ, a northern part of TTA TOM, April 21.
The
cold load training, which incorporated the CH-47F Chinook helicopter, was
attended by 20 ROKA soldiers. The training allows Soldiers to enter and exit a
helicopter while the vehicle is not in operation. In contrast to cold load, hot
load training allows Soldiers to enter and exit the helicopter during a live
run.
"The standard for our Soldiers is to enter the bird in 15 to 30
seconds and exit in 15 seconds or less," said 1st Lt. John A. Milani, a crew
chief from Company B, 3rd GSAB. "More importantly, the real goal is for every
Soldier to become more comfortable with the process."
Milani conducted a
safety briefing with the ROKA soldiers and instructed on the most expedient and
proper way to enter the aircraft, utilize the seat belts, and position their
equipment. Once the instructions were complete, the soldiers participated in a
dry run of the exercise.
"The whole process sounds easy, but practice is
essential, especially for soldiers, who have never been in an aircraft," Milani
said. "Getting on in an orderly and swift manner is very basic, but key to
accomplishing our mission."
"The purpose of the training is to
synchronize U.S. and ROKA forces by introducing the CH-47 Chinook to the ROKA
soldiers," said Warrant Officer 1 Levi Sena, a CH-47F Chinook pilot from the
Company B, 3rd GSAB, who explained the goal of the U.S.-ROK joint cold load
training.
"By working hand-in-hand with ROKA soldiers, we not only build
stronger forces on the Korean Peninsula, but also foster the good relationship
between the United States and Republic of Korea," Sena said.
The
training ended with ROKA soldiers swiftly leaving the CH-47 Chinook. As the
soldiers avoided the heat from the rear engine, they scattered into the reed
fields and hid themselves. It was the first time, for most of them, to ever
enter a CH-47 Chinook.
With the cold load training conducted by the 3rd
GSAB, both U.S. and ROKA Soldiers said they were confident that they would be
able to support one another in an actual wartime situation.