First Helo Ride...Oh and I met a Senator

This past week I was privy to escort media during a visit by Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill, as he toured CJTF-HOA.

Part of the Senator's visit to Camp Lemonier was a trip to a contingency operating location (COL) and the tent city the Seabees established for the flood ravaged city of Dire Dawa in Ethiopia. I had to travel to Addis Ababa with the admiral's chief of staff to pick up and escort an AP reporter that would be returning here to camp. I took my first ride on a C-26, a small turbo prop. It was a comfy ride with plenty of legroom and leather seats. In Addis, we picked up the reporter, the US embassy Charge d'affairs and a couple of other people.


("African Queen")

From there we flew to Dire Dawa where the Senator and Admiral Hunt and the rest of the hangers-on arrived via two CH-53 Sea Stallions (big-ass Marine helicopters). They took a road trip to Dire Dawa and returned shortly then we all boarded the helos.


(Senator Obama and Admiral Hunt meet with Janet Wilgus, Charge d'affairs, and an Ethiopian National Defense Force General)


(This will seat 40+ people)

This was my first ever helo ride. I was a little apprehensive but bucked up and hopped aboard. I have to say, it was a much smoother ride than I expected.


(Sarah was the escort officer for the Senator's visit. She's still recovering from the hassle of it all)

They kept the back open for the duration, so as we ascended I could see the ground fall away. We only traveled a few hundred feet or so off the deck so it was interesting to watch the landscape as we flew to COL Hurso.

We landed in an open field and the rotors whipped up a cloud of dirt all around us. After they shut down the engines we got in vans and drove half a mile to the COL, toured, received briefings, and ate Guamanian BBQ. The force protection guys there are all from Guam and apparently are very good at cooking for large groups or big families I suppose.


(Les Neuhaus, AP, interviews members of C-Company from Guam)

After dinner we departed for Camp Lemonier on the helos. For this leg of the journey I rode with the admiral's and Senator’s party. Glad the helo didn’t crash cause I’m sure my death would have been overshadowed a little...“Oh and that Air Force PAO captain too” (I’m not vain really).


(flying over the mountain range as the sun goes down)

We eventually made it back just as the sun had gone down. I was exhausted so I went back to my CLU, had a shower, and zonked out.

I’ll be posting some more of the visit tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Awaiting my next helo ride,

Marty