Nevada National Guard unit always ready to fly into action

Thunder from the whirling blades of a Chinook helicopter pierced the quiet around Afghanistan’s jagged, 10,000-foot peaks.

It was a bone-chilling November day outside in the thin mountain air.

But inside the cockpit over the combat zone, it was just another day at the office for the crew from Bravo Company, 189th General Support Aviation Battalion.

The mission for the Nevada Army National Guard unit that flies twin-rotor CH-47D Chinooks has changed since the onset of the war a decade ago, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon. That’s when U.S.-led coalition forces invaded the country to knock out al-Qaida’s terrorist training camps facilitated by the Taliban.

"The Chinooks used to be a division asset. We would move beans and bullets," said company commander Capt. Michael Bordallo.

"The mission primarily for us has been that of general support. That’s with night-vision goggles and daytime general support," the 32-year-old Bordallo said.

Now, in addition to conducting general support movements, the 50-member Bravo Company has performed classified missions to transport special operations troops.

COMMANDERS NEVER FORGET

Bordallo, of Las Vegas, is one of several National Guard soldiers from Southern Nevada who continue to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, a land torn by war since the late 1970s when the Soviet army invaded the country.

More than two dozen soldiers in an Army Reserve civil affairs company from North Las Vegas – the Vegas Desert Rats – recently returned from nine-month deployment to Afghanistan’s volatile Logar and Wardak provinces. But many Nevada Guard soldiers remain in theater with Bravo Company and the 593rd Transportation Company.

For Bordallo and other crew members, this second deployment for Bravo Company is bittersweet because they will never forget Sept. 25, 2005, when insurgents shot down one of their Chinooks with a rocket-propelled grenade. The attack killed five guardsmen including two from Nevada: Chief Warrant Officer 3 John M. Flynn, of Sparks; and Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, of Fernley.

The Chinook, known as Mustang 22, was assigned to Bravo Company’s predecessor, Company D, 113th Aviation.

Every time Chief Warrant Officer 5 Dan Walters flies one of the olive drab Chinooks in Afghanistan, he carries the memory of his five fallen comrades.

"Yes, it weighs in the back of our minds," said Walters, the senior pilot from the Northern Nevada town of Genoa, who has deployed to Afghanistan twice.

Walters remembers the ramp ceremony when a transport plane brought the bodies home from Kandahar Air Field. Tears filled every soldier’s eyes, he said.

"The thought to lose them is hard, but you move on," Walters said.

AVOIDING FIRE

Bordallo credits Walters and his 27 years of aviation experience with keeping the company on target during the current deployment.

"His combat veteran leadership in this environment was a key to our success," Bordallo said.

While in Afghanistan, the pilots and their crews primarily haul equipment and supplies or sling heavy Conex containers from one base to another. Other times, they ferry soldiers to wage war on the Taliban or unfriendly insurgents.

During the operations, pilots try to guide their Chinooks high enough to avoid machine-gun and small-arms fire from the ground.

As company commander, Bordallo flies his share of missions in addition to taking care of unit concerns and serving as liaison to the 101st Combat Aviation Battalion.

He leads by example by taking on some of the most difficult missions. He never forgets why he became a Chinook pilot and his first four years of active duty with the 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles from Fort Campbell, Ky.

"As for my progression as a pilot, this has been a phenomenal growth experience for me personally," he said during an interview at Forward Operating Base Shank, a 6,600-foot elevation staging area in eastern Afghanistan’s Logar province.

"I can attribute all my aviation growth and experience to our pilots and flight crews. Without them, I would not have correctly learned the aircraft and mission completely, not to mention the leadership lessons they have taught me; priceless. They are truly a great group of patriots and outstanding soldiers."

Bordallo, who grew up in Vacaville, Calif., took a break in service, moved to Las Vegas and earned a degree from Nevada State College in Henderson. Even with a stint in the Army behind him and a sheepskin in hand, he still yearned to be a pilot.

"I always wanted to fly. I went through officer candidate school and completed the program in 18 months," Bordallo said.

Upon graduation, he earned his gold, second lieutenant bars and continued his desire to become a chopper pilot. He departed for flight school at Fort Rucker, Ala., in 2007 and returned to Nevada the following year.

In his whirlwind career, Bordallo received a promotion to captain, and the Nevada Army National Guard awarded him command of the 189th, a plum assignment in Nevada aviation.

As company commander, he made sure the unit trained vigorously for months and was, in his words, "up to speed" for its deployment.

"We definitely have a mix of veterans who have that saltiness, and new soldiers who have that enthusiasm and high interest," Bordallo said. "Together, it’s a great combination."

FROM MP TO PILOT

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jared Clack vividly remembers the first time he deployed overseas as a soldier.

It was 2004 and Clack, a military policeman in the Army Reserve, left for Iraq. He soon discovered he didn’t like the life of a military cop.

"That one was harder," Clack said of his first deployment. "We trained Iraqi police officers and did convoys."

Hot, dusty and dry. That’s how Clack remembers his tour of Iraq following the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein.

Never did the Rancho High School graduate imagine he would be involved with a war when he first enlisted. Assigned to Forward Operating Base Shield, Clack counted down the days of his year-long assignment before returning to the Las Vegas Valley.

"I couldn’t wait to get home," he recalled. Clack learned about the warrant officer program in the Nevada Army National Guard while serving in the Army Reserve. He thought he could successfully endure the training.

At 17, he became a fixed-wing pilot through Rancho High School’s aviation program.

Clack wanted more, though, and if he were going to serve his country, he preferred flying high above the ground, looking down on convoys rather than riding in them.

After 18 months of flight school, he earned his Chinook pilot wings.

His second deployment has been a busy one. He has flown many missions both in the daytime and at night. His confidence level is solid.

"With my first flight, I had anxiety and did not know what to expect," Clack said. "Moving people and equipment has been interesting, and I have done a lot of night and day flying. Personally, I like to see the night sky – night is more peaceful."

FROM ENGINEER TO PILOT

Like fellow Las Vegan Clack, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Josh Bunker grew up in Southern Nevada, joined the military and deployed to Iraq in 2003.

On that deployment he served in the Nevada’s 777th Engineer Utility Team. Bunker, who graduated from Silverado High School in 2001, now has more than 11 years of military service split between the engineers and aviation.

While growing up, Bunker had a strong interest in flying helicopters, a life-long dream that he took with him to Iraq. As a heavy equipment operator, he soon found out that the long, hot days of Iraq sizzled more during the summer than those in Las Vegas.

"In the beginning we did a lot of convoys to transport equipment. We did a lot of ground work in our specific section, and we traveled all over the country," Bunker said.

In pursuit of his dream, he attended flight school in 2009, completing the course in 2011.

When he arrived in Afghanistan last year, his newly acquired flight skills were immediately put to test. "My feet were held to the fire right out of the gate," he said.

Bunker and Clack have flown together on numerous missions.

"We work well together. We are both PCs – pilot commands, or persons in charge. We make decisions that affect the air crew."