201212_UTMinuteman_W.. - Keep Trees

Story by Ileen Kennedy
FERRON, Utah — Evade and
escape. That’s what aircrew members
are trained to do if their helicopter is
downed behind enemy lines. Pilots,
crews and members of the 2-211th
Aviation and 1-171st Aviation trained
with local authorities from seven
county agencies on special tactics
when they find themselves in an
emergency or crash situation.
Teams of four to five crewmembers
were flown to designated sites near
Joe’s Valley Reservoir in the Manti-
La Sal Mountains, where they were
dropped off and told they had just
crash-landed in enemy territory. Law
enforcement from Emery, Carbon and
Grand County Sheriff’s Offices, as
well as Utah Highway Patrol officers,
were quickly in pursuit of the teams.
“Our adrenaline was high. When
we were dropped off we saw a spotter
up in the mountain ridgeline, and he
was calling in,” said SPC Cody Evans,
a power-generation mechanic for the
2-211th and Utah Aviation Soldier of
the Year. “We saw SUVs coming up
the road, so we rushed into the forest.
That was pretty crazy right off the bat.
They got immediate response, so we
had to fly right off the beginning and
it was nonstop.”
Each team member packed their
own equipment to include items they
might have with them on a flight.
Some took sleeping gear, while others
left it behind and packed additional
water, knowing they would have to
carry the pack for 24 hours on the run.
Very little food, if any, was packed.
“At night we climbed up into the
mountain ridgeline under a pine tree
and made a small fire,” said Evans.
“We were hanging out underneath
that, and we could hear the dogs.
Between the cold and hearing the
dogs everywhere you couldn’t sleep
at all. It was intense.”
26 Winter 2012
Blackhawk Down Behind Enemy Lines
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Dennis J. Henry Jr. and Ileen Kennedy
A local law enforcement officer watches for Soldiers making their way to the
extraction site during the annual field-training exercise that tested the battalion’s
ability to support aviation operations in a deployed environment.
Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation, participate in a
28-hour Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training.