Guard Helicopter Crews Return From War

Some of the Guard helicopter crews served with the Marines during operations in Afghanistan

Captain Jerry Brennan is a former U.S. Marine Photo By: Tim King

(Salem) - It`s been a long six-months for members of Oregon National Guard who returned home from the war in Afghanistan Thursday. Pilots and crews from the 1042nd Medical Company rolled onto familiar ground in a military bus and were greeted by smiling faces at the Guard`s Salem air base.

The six-month long deployment to war-ravaged Afghanistan brought the first combat experience to many of these soldiers, according to Jerry Brennan, a Captain with the Oregon Guard`s 1042nd Medical Company. `It was kind of like baptism by fire for a lot of us that were over there, it represents some of the most challenging aviation environments that I have ever flown in."

The guard`s pride and joy, the Blackhawk helicopter, is the tool that led these crews on over 300 successful missions in Afghanistan. Not only did these soldiers return safe, so did many injured Marines and soldiers that these crews recovered from the battlefield. Brennan says Oregon benefits, `It`s a great piece of equipment, we`re fortunate here in Oregon. We`ve got the Lima model Blackhawks. When we got to Afghanistan, the units that were there ahead of us were flying an older version of the alpha model Blackhawks, so we had a little more power when we needed it, and we were able to perform better at higher altitudes."

The Oregon Guard has no shortage of personalities and backgrounds. The military group is also staffed by a lot of former U.S. Marines. As one of those former Marines, 1042nd pilot Jerry Brennan and his crew spent five months flying in support of active duty Marines on the ground in Afghanistan. `We`re there to help serve those Marines, especially in their time of need when they`re perhaps, they need us more than anybody else, so we try to get there as quickly as possible to help them, to pull them out and get them back to Bagram and hopefully get the proper medical that they need."

Brennan says the relationship between his team and the Marines was excellent, ` I`ve always had a special place in my heart for Marines and I think all Marines have that same feeling, so when you get a chance to go back, after serving in the Marine Corps and then helping the Marines again, that meant a lot to me personally."

`Every mission was important to us, you know whether it was a patient transfer, or going directly to an IED strike to pick up an injured soldier, they all were very important to each and every single one of us."

Brennan says the biggest thought since returning, is his wife and two children, `That`s the hardest part is being away from my family, my daughter Emma and my son Charlie and my wife Sara. It`s not easy, if anything, I look at this deployment as probably being my last one because it`s just… you can only compartmentalize for so long, and I know I just want to get back with my family and spend some time with them now."

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