Black Hawk crew lifts spirits
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Students at Rutland Town School gather around a Vermont Air National Guard Black Hawk medivac helicopter that visited the school Thursday as part of a Veterans Day program. Albert J. Marro / Rutland Herald |
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By PATRICIA MINICHIELLO STAFF WRITER - Published: November 13, 2009
Students buzzed with excitement Thursday as a Black Hawk helicopter circled the meadow in back of Rutland Town School before landing to a round of applause.
"I can hear it," a sea of students chanted, before the army-green aircraft made an appearance overhead.
The event, organized by sixth-grade teacher Dutch Redman, marked Veterans Day with a three-part learning experience.
First, the entire school gathered outside just before 9:45 a.m. to watch the helicopter land. While there, students were energized by what they saw and vocal about their favorite moments.
"I liked when the leaves were blowing like crazy," said Jarod Rackliff, a student in the second grade.
Nick Pratico, another second-grader, said he also liked how much the leaves and trees were blowing in the wind.
"When it was really low, I thought it was going to land in the woods," said fourth-grader Kayle Tavares.
Ariel McCullough, also a fourth-grader said, "It was really loud and looked like a blizzard blowing the leaves around."
After the landing, students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades gathered in the gymnasium to hear three members of the Vermont National Guard — two helicopter pilots and one flight medic — speak about the importance of making good choices, setting goals and embracing life's opportunities.
"I had my first plane ride when I was 12 years old. Right then I knew I wanted to be a pilot and I made it happen," said Kevin LeBlanc, a chief warrant officer and pilot for the Vermont National Guard.
LeBlanc said he did a tour of duty in Iraq in 2005 and 2006.
Lawton Redman, son of the event's organizer and co-pilot of the helicopter, was second to speak. He said the event came about through his father's hard work.
"My dad was interested in doing an event for Veterans Day and, knowing that we sometimes bring aircrafts to schools for public relations, he requested an aircraft through the Vermont National Guard public affairs office, and it worked its way up through those channels to us at the flight facility," Redman said.
Redman told his story of beginning as an infantryman and serving in Iraq in 2005 and 2006. After his tour, he attended flight school and then became a radio helicopter pilot.
"I made very good life choices at a very young age and I'm fortunate that I made those choices," he said. "It's up to you to make the decision to be successful. You have these opportunities for success."
Greg Sieverberg, a sergeant and flight medic with 15 years of military experience, echoed Redman's sentiments of making good choices.
"Make good decisions, stay in school and get your degrees. Do what you are good at and don't let bad people bring you down," he said. "I hope that you truly enjoy the opportunity that life is going to give you."
When the assembly ended, it was time for students to head outside, see the helicopter up close and ask questions about it.
Specifically, the helicopter that landed was described as an HH-60M — the first in the world to run on completely digital controls.
"That's the way aviation has evolved. This is the latest and greatest model," Redman said.
Redman said the helicopter travels at a top speed of 160 miles an hour and can stay in the air for about two and a half hours on one tank of gas. The aircraft holds 360 gallons of gas total, he said.
Sieverberg spoke about the medical equipment on board, including cardiac monitors, defibrillators, blood pressure monitors and breathing tubes.
"Everything that's available at a hospital is on this aircraft," Sieverberg said.
LeBlanc said the crew can rescue six people at a time, but there have been days when they've needed to fit eight.
"Those were some bad days," LeBlanc said.
In addition to the three servicemen who spoke, Charles Parker, a sergeant and first-class crew chief, was on hand to ensure that the $18 million aircraft was secure at all times.
Overall, the event drew hundreds of people, including students, parents, teachers, staff and school officials.
Jim Levins, a member of the Rutland Town School Board, attended the event from start to finish and said the entire experience brought home what is important about country.
"It was a wonderful educational event. Having an Army Guard helicopter land in our ball field makes what is important about our country so real."
He said the students were fortunate to hear thoughtful, inspirational words from the pilots and crew members during the assembly.
"It's one of those things students are going to remember for a long time. I believe that some of the good words that they've heard today will really be meaningful to them and help them make intelligent choices in the future," Levins said.
patricia.minichiello@rutlandherald.com
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