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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (Jan. 24, 2013) – A small
helicopter idles on a flight line, ready to fly. The rotor blades
slap the icy afternoon Afghanistan air. Through the pilot's side
door looms the formidable shadow of a beast, breathing furiously,
waiting to be unleashed into flight.
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Platoon instructor pilot for Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Seth Armstrong, poses for a quick photo near the flight line on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Jan. 24, 2013. Armstrong pilots OH-58 Kiowa helicopters, supporting ground forces on the battlefield. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Anna Rutherford, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
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“That's definitely one intimidating looking aircraft,” says Chief
Warrant Officer 2 Seth Armstrong, Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 17th
Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), as he
stares at the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter sitting perpendicular
to his OH-58 Kiowa helicopter on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.
Armstrong is a platoon instructor pilot with Troop C. All the
glamour and glitz of being a pilot aside, what keeps this soldier
serving is a complex combination of his experience as an airborne
infantryman and prior deployment experience.
“I serve because
I like to work with the ground guys and to help them out, make it a
little easier on them, to keep them out of harm's way as much as
possible – that's the big drive behind why we do what I do,” said
Armstrong. “I think they know that come hell or high water, we're
coming if we're called. It's something to be proud of - that those
guys trust you to come help them.”
Armstrong, much like his helicopter, has a small frame and
stature. However, he quickly proves that looks are deceiving as he
deftly pumps the pedals and works the controls, making the aircraft
lean into the wind as the concrete ground fades away to a hazy
landscape. The aircraft quickly becomes an extension of the pilot as
he makes the helicopter turn and manuever with careful ease and
precision. His movements are effortless, deliberate and almost too
natural for an individual who originally didn't plan on joining the
military.
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“I've always wanted to be in the military
in some regard, [but] that wasn't my original plan,” said
Armstrong. “I graduated college and it was hard to find a
job, so the Army offered to pay for my school and give me a
paycheck.”
With time, Armstrong quickly found his
relationship with the military blossoming into a fulfilling
career motivated by sense of duty.
“I think this is
a fight that has to be fought,” he said. “Somebody's got to
go do it.”
Armstrong's military career didn't begin
in aviation, though. His poor eyesight prevented him from
becoming a pilot so his foundation comes from the infantry.
“I came in originally to be a pilot, but I couldn't
because my eyes were too bad,” Armstrong said. “So I joined
the infantry, then paid for LASIK out of my own pocket, put
my packet in and here I am.”
On this chilly day,
Armstrong flies alongside two soldiers piloting an Apache
attack helicopter: U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Les
McNellie, brigade master gunner for 101st Combat Aviation
Brigade, and experimental test pilot Maj. Joseph Minor.
The combination of the two aircraft are designated a
“Pink Team.” The name describes a hunter-killer team, in
which one element of the team acts as a spotter or “hunter”
and the other element is the attacker or “killer.” The Pink
Team concept is the same as a sniper-spotter team.
“We are out there to find the enemy,” said Armstrong. “[We]
try to discern if it's a farmer or a Taliban fighter. So the
attack helicopters will support us, covering us with their
heavier fire power.”
Regardless of their separate
jobs and drastically different statures, the team is united
in one mission.
“My favorite part about being an
attack helicopter pilot is supporting the ground forces,”
said McNellie. “Defending the guys on the ground, making
their job easier and making sure they go home. The other
gratifying part is the ability to train, lead and mentor
young warrants.”
Armstrong has the same perspective
as McNellie.
“There's something about having a
helicopter overhead when you're the ground guy and people
are shooting at you,” said Armstrong. “It makes it feel like
everything's going to be OK. You can hear it in their voice
on the radio – you can hear the anxiety. Once helicopters
show up putting fire down, [we're] able to turn the tide on
the enemy. It's all about supporting the ground guys.”
As Armstrong flies his small aircraft near McNellie and
Minor's attack helicopter, the slapping sound of rotor
blades is drowned out by the deep popping sound of a large
weapon and the sound of rounds impacting into a hillside.
The Apache and Kiowa break away only to return to the same
hillside and make another run, putting more rounds of
ammunition into the hillside. The movements are perfectly
synched.
An outdoorsman, Armstrong has taken his
hobbies from his civilian life and found a way to continue
the activities in his military career.
“[I enjoy]
hunting, camping, hiking, that kind of thing. Here we go
hunting for Taliban,” he jokes.
After the firing is
complete, Armstrong turns the aircraft around to head back
to the base, making tight turns and banking movements. The
Kiowa sweeps the air above a stream and snakes its way along
the length of the fast glistening water. Behind his shaded
visor, Armstrong looks completely at ease, but alert as he
steers the helicopter through seemingly difficult turns and
movements. It's no mystery why this soldier is charged with
the duties of instructing new pilots.
“It has a lot
of job satisfaction to it,” said Armstrong. “To see a guy
who's struggling, trying to learn a skill and then watch
that person progress to where they're a pilot-in-command and
now they're teaching the new guy.”
In the meantime,
Armstrong plans on making the Army his career until
retirement.
“Every job has its ups and downs,” said
Armstrong. “But it's a good job. It's fun, we get to make a
difference, I get to help that 19-year-old go home. It's
about keeping the guys on the ground safe.”
By Army Staff Sgt. Anna Rutherford
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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