A Ride on a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter!

Courtesy of the Iowa National Guard

An Iowa National Guard CH-47 Chinook Helicopter at the Knoxville Airport Tuesday

Social media was abuzz in Marion County on Tuesday, with people wondering what the deal was with the helicopter flying over Lake Red Rock and back.

And it wasn’t just ANY helicopter. It was a CH-47 Chinook. The Chinooks are a “heavy lifting” tandem rotor helicopter that was first introduced in 1962. It’s an amazing machine, and the fact it has been serving our Armed Forces for over 60 years is remarkable. Knoxville is home to the 3654 Support Maintenance Company of the Iowa National Guard. The company provides maintenance for various vehicles and equipment; many guard members are our friends and neighbors.

Brigadier General Stephen Osborn

Community leaders had been invited to learn more about the guard and take a helicopter ride if we wanted to. Over breakfast sandwiches and coffee, Brigadier General Osborn and other officers told us the story of the role the guard plays in our national defense and in emergencies.

Leaders in the Iowa National Guard were in town spreading the word about what it’s like to be in the guard and what they do. A representative of the group “Employers in Support of the Guard and Reserve” was also there to encourage businesses to support guard members who are employees. 

After an overview, participants were able and talk to guard members about how they maintain the equipment so vital to our national defense and guard response to environmental disasters. Then we went to the airport!

Before we took off we received safety training.

Walking to the helicopter.

We left Knoxville and flew over Lake Red Rock to Pella, then to Monroe, and followed Highway 14 back to Knoxville. In the photo above you can see the Mile Long Bridge.

Above is a video of my view on the last leg of the flight.

Here I am, all buckled in.

And here is my friend Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt who took the photo of me.

I’ve had lots of interaction with the Iowa National Guard over the years. They have been here to help our local first responders with emergencies ranging from flooding to tornadoes. They have also been here for trainings for potential terrorist events. 

The most grateful I have ever been was when I had the honor to be at our Emergency Management office on March 26, 2020 when two soldiers pulled in to drop off PPE’s for our first responders at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Above is a a screenshot of a Facebook live video I took. Click here to watch the video.

Remember how frightened we were at the time? Remember how united we were as we faced the threat together before it was politicized? I do, and I will never forget that day when that semi pulled in with that essential equipment that likely saved the lives of some of our first responders.

---

I covered the helicopter ride on Tuesday for KNIA/KRLS Radio in Knoxville/Pella/Indianola, and wish to share my appreciation and thanks here to all of the members of the Iowa National Guard and all they do for us. If you are a young person who thinks you might want to serve this way, please consider contacting a recruiter to learn more. If you are an employer who has guard members on staff, please consider accommodating their needs as they serve Iowa and our country.

And if you are a regular Jack or Jill like me, please say thanks to all of those who serve in the guard the next time you see them!

---

I hope you enjoyed this. Please consider subscribing to the work of other members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Columnists below. If you can afford it, please consider being a paid subscriber. 

Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Nik Heftman, The Seven Times, Iowa and California

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa

Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar

Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines

Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.

Macy Spensley, The Creative Midwesterner, Davenport/Des Moines

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona

Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

To receive a weekly roundup of all Iowa Writers’ Collaborative columnists, sign up here (free): ROUNDUP COLUMN

We are also proud to have an alliance with the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a great news source.