By Private 1st Class Gisell Martinez, USS Boxer (LHD 4) Public Affairs
USS BOXER, At sea (NNS) -- The Army's 1-226th Aviation Regiment conducted deck landing qualifications (DLQ) aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4), May 13, while the ship was off the coast of Guatemala for Continuing Promise (CP) 2008.
The Regiment conducted the DLQs to ensure they are qualified to land their helicopters aboard a Navy ship should they need to refuel during a natural disaster.
In September of 2007, the 1-226th was responding to Hurricane Felix, which hit the coasts of Honduras and Guatemala. When their helicopters were short on fuel, they had to create various "stand-alone" fueling stations, which required additional manpower and coordination, taking away from the primary mission. The regiment was not able to fly to the nearby Navy ships right off the coast because they were not qualified to land on their flight decks.
"We never get the opportunity to do this," said Army Lt. Col. Todd Conyers, the 1-226th's commanding officer. "For the Army to have the capability and the chance to train with the Marine Corps and the Navy is an honor."
According to Conyers, the 1-226th's primary mission in the U.S. Southern Command's area of focus is anti-narcotics, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. He said qualifying aboard Boxer allows them greater flexibility to be able to respond to all of their mission responsibilities.
Throughout the training, the 1-226th conducted DLQs with four AH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crews and two CH-47 Chinook helicopter crews which included two medical evacuation drills.
"Now we can do joint operations with Navy and Marines to make our mission more effective and efficient aboard a Navy ship," added Conyers. "It's an honor for the 1-226th to be a part of joint operations and we look forward to doing it again."
The 1-226th working with Boxer allows for greater reach around the globe for future missions like Continuing Promise, Boxer's humanitarian civic assistance mission with Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru.
Boxer's mission exemplifies the U.S. maritime strategy which emphasizes deploying forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests.
Embarked units and organizations aboard Boxer for CP include Amphibious Squadron 5, Fleet Surgical Team 5, U.S. Public Health Service, Project Hope, Project Handclasp, Navy Seabee Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764, Tactical Air Control Squadron 11, Special Marine Air Ground Task Force 24, Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron 23, Assault Craft Unit 1, Fleet Survey Team and Beach Master Unit 1.
