DISNEY TRAINING CENTER, Ky. – The Kentucky Army National Guard 751st Troop Command, which falls under the 63rd Theater Aviation Brigade, conducted an all-hazards exercise on September 14th, 2024. The exercise utilized all aviation companies and detachments in scenarios aimed at their most requested mission sets focused on domestic operations (DOMOPS).

The mission comprised of 71 Soldiers accompanied by five UH-60 black hawks, two UH-72 Lakotas, one LMTV, and one HMMWV. U.S Army Lt. Col. Stephen Martin, battalion commander of the 751st Troop Command along with Capt. Jacob Conner, operations officer of the 751st, emphasized the importance of providing realistic events that embolden the junior leaders within the battalion to develop by decisive planning and decision making. Operations were conducted throughout central and southeastern Kentucky to include the Red River Gorge.

Detachment 1 Charlie Company 2-238th Aviation Medevac known as “Wildcat Dustoff”, conducted hoist operations and a mass casualty event in which the aircraft medics were tasked with rendering aid to multiple casualties at the same time. The 238th Medevac Detachment also operated as a part of an interagency response during the exercise, working in close cooperation with Wolfe County Search and Rescue and Red Star Wilderness EMS during multiple hoist/handoff incidents, who commonly request the detachments assistance in emergency responses. DET 1 C/2- 238th Medevac provides aero-medical evacuation and search and rescue and were an integral part in the Kentucky Army National Guard response to the eastern Kentucky floods in 2022, evacuating over 200 Kentuckians during rescue operations. This exercise allowed the medevac detachment to maintain their proficiency and maximize their effectiveness in future operations with interagency partners by addressing the most effective medical evacuation methods and how to communicate better.

Staff Sgt. Ashley Renye, a critical care flight paramedic of DET 1 C/Co, 2-238th emphasized how important the exercise focusing on realistic domestic operations while including their civilian search and rescue counterparts was to future success. “This type of training not only saves lives, but also accelerates recovery in the face of any crisis,” said Renye.

Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation call sign “Shadow”, conducted surveillance and identification operations throughout the exercise, mirroring their role in the western Kentucky tornadoes in 2021, and the eastern Kentucky floods in 2022. Missions conducted by the C/1-376th, comprised of UH-72 Lakotas included identifying and confirming the controlled live fire location before bambi buckets were deployed by supporting aircraft to suppress the fire, tracking multiple moving vehicles during surveillance operations in a dynamic environment and surveillance of a narcotics transaction. C/1-376th were paramount in the eastern Kentucky flood response in 2022 in which they were tasked with spotting displaced victims and relaying locations to Blackhawk companies for rescue and extraction. The shadow company is also a crucial component to joint support operations in which they work in unison with federal and state law enforcement partners in narcotics operations.

2/147th, Air Assault Helicopter Battalion (AHB), call sign “Renegades”, conducted four internal load missions to include pickup and drop off at designated site areas, as well as deploying bambi buckets to suppress an active fire in support of Lexington Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Group. Deploying bambi buckets required aviators and their crews to fill buckets in a nearby pond, which served as their water source. Crews then accurately dropped the water on the active fire and made live adjustments on subsequent passes to suppress the spread of a wildfire. During these operations the “Renegades” used lift operations and sling load capabilities to complete their load missions. During the eastern Kentucky flood response, the company conducted lift operations where the aircraft landed in a safe landing zone and transported displaced civilians/residents to secure location sites, resulting in over 443 victims being transported by lift operations and over 17,200 pounds of supplies containing mostly water and food being delivered by the Renegades.

351st, Bravo Company ASB conducted a downed aircraft exercise in which Soldiers from the company deployed from Frankfort, Kentucky to Disney Training Center to identify faults within the Blackhawk and correct all maintenance issues to allow the aircraft to get back in the air. The 351st plays a crucial role in maintaining all aircrafts and ensuring they’re always mission capable to respond in case of emergencies.

This 2024 All Hazard Exercise was a culminating training in testing the entire capabilities across the 751st Troop Command on realistic events while being intertwined with interagency partners that will be deploying among the units in real life emergencies. These exercises are the foundation to success when required mission sets are requested and lives are on the line and served as a fitting culminating exercise to conclude the command for outgoing battalion commander, Martin, who oversaw two historic hazard responses that struck the Commonwealth.