A Black Hawk cruising over Nome last week.

Army National Guard helicopters land on St. Lawrence Island

By Peter Loewi
On May 2, two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flew to St. Lawrence Island and back. Alaska National Guard director of communications Alan Brown told the Nugget via email that this was part of their annual training, and that “over water flight carries a unique set of risks that requires ongoing training to remain proficient.”
The helicopters are part of the Alaska Army National Guard’s Golf Company, Detachment 1, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion. Brown explained that the “2-211th is primarily a medevac unit with hoist capable UH-60s. So, they frequently get tasked by the Rescue Coordination Center to go out on short notice search and rescue missions,” and that “The more familiar they are with the varied terrain across Alaska, the more effective they can be when conducting a rescue mission.”
Jordan James, president of the Sivuqaq Native Corporation, said that during this visit they came to request to train. James said they would be back in June with more details of a training planned for September. James told the Nugget that he saw Air Force and Marine emblems on their uniforms, referring to the patches on the chests of uniformed service members showing their branch.
Public affairs officers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson were unsure of what training this reporter was asking about, and requests for more information were unanswered by press time.
“They probably want to make presence,” said Savoonga IRA President Ben Pungowiyi, describing a common military concept of trying to deter an adversary by showing presence in a certain area.
Pungowiyi served in the 297th Infantry Regiment, which now sits in the same 38th Troop Command as the 2-211th. He wasn’t entirely sure what they’re doing but knew that they would be checking the airstrip to see if it is suitable for larger aircraft. He said that the National Guard asked for permission to train on St. Lawrence Island, and then asked for direction on which areas it was safe to train in to limit impacts to subsistence activities.

 

The Nome Nugget

PO Box 610
Nome, Alaska 99762
USA

Phone: (907) 443-5235
Fax: (907) 443-5112

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