Dobie flies high...

---

I can’t believe soldiers actually get paid to do this…To fly helicopters! Oh my gosh, was today a rush or what! I traveled all day long in a whirly bird and it was nearly the best day ever. Today was not your average overcast December day in Kosovo where normally the rivers are a coffee-colored watery mud looking body of water and the gray skies blend in with the bland farm fields and rolling hills of Kosovo. Today, it was so bright that sunglasses were required!

I knew I was in for a special treat when Davina asked me to come along for a day of adventure up in the northern part of Kosovo. We got up early and went down to the aviation operations center and waited patiently for them to ready the helicopter for flight. Once we were done with the safety briefing and the route clarification it was a mad rush towards the aircraft as the crew chief stood by the door and motioned to us which way we should enter the helicopter and where to sit. The rotors were spinning and so it was a little difficult for me as we got real close to the helicopter because the wind from the rotations of the blades was just about enough to knock me off my feet. Small bits of dirt were embedded in my teeth and my fur took a beating those last few feet before we boarded. But the sheer excitement of the moment was worth all the little sandblasts. I must say that I wasn’t the only excited one there. We actually had a soldier who had never been on a helicopter before and he was even more intolerable than me. It is rumored that he had hardly slept a wink the night before and that he’s been waiting for this his entire career. So the day was set up to be a memorable one.

Getting positioned in the canvas seat and having the crew chief help put my seat belt on, after we all got situated I was then nearly knee to knee with the soldier right across from me. The pilot asked Davina if she wanted to have a headset so that she could communicate with them and next thing I knew the side doors were closing and everybody was giving each other the thumbs up. I looked up front and gave the pilots a little wave and then became fixated on the view outside.

We had earplugs in but you can still hear the insistent whir of the blades. Actually, it was quite loud and nearly impossible to talk to each other, so mostly we were all lost deep in our own thoughts. People were snapping pictures and the helicopter was fighting the strong gale force winds so it took quite the concentration to keep the cameras steady.

These pilots and the crew chief were from Kentucky and based on their great safety record not only during this deployment but previously to Iraq, I knew we were in good hands even though the weather was forcing it to be a rougher than usual flight. Just last week this same group of aviators were doing a multi-national training exercise with one of our partners in Task Force-East. They practiced transporting medical evacuees and loading and unloading the helicopter in preparation for emergency support operations. Working hand in hand with all these different countries has been essential so that we can complete our missions, save lives and accomplish our goal of maintaining a safe and secure environment in Kosovo.

We flew from the bottom of Kosovo clear up to the northern peak, and by gosh it didn’t take very long, only 35 minutes. This sure is a small country, but the landscape seemed to change every few minutes. When we departed we had snow capped mountains surrounding us and then we lost all signs of any snow and then as we climbed higher into the mountains again the snow had a light dusting on everything. The pilots gave us quite a ride. It just wasn’t a right turn, it was a RIGHT TURN, like on your side turn, one that you were glad you had a seatbelt on or you would have slid right onto the soldiers lap next to you. We followed the contour of the ground below, going up and down with the rise of the hills and valleys. It was absolutely great and made me feel so free because I could see forever.

Sometimes we would come over a hill and there would be a small hamlet tucked into a small valley and from my overhead view it all looked so peaceful. White houses with brick red roofs littered the landscape. This was definitely an up close and personal view of the Kosovo landscape and I really wished we could have just landed in someone’s farmland and had the opportunity to just hop out of the helicopter and go spend some time with the people in these small communities.

As we all know that the helicopter mission provides a valuable support asset to our peacekeeping mission, so every time we flew over a city, town or village I tried to get real close to the window and wave to all the people below. I just wanted to be a good steward to keeping a friendly face for all the Kosovars to see. I doubt if anybody saw my hand frantically moving back and forth but it was really fun for me.

We landed at another military base and it was so smooth that I barely knew we had touched down. But as I looked over to the French soldiers who were standing on the edge of the landing pads they were getting wind blasted with twigs and dirt. So as we darted from the helicopter to their location they quickly walked us out of the windy area so we all wouldn’t get blown away with the crazy wind that the blades create. Our meeting went well and I was even able to meet soldiers from France, Morocco, Belgium and Denmark. I was surprised that all of the soldiers I met from these countries spoke understandable English and I found myself listening so intently to their accents that I would get lost in the conversation. After all the meeting we were invited to eat at the French dining facility. Had the opportunity to try antelope, squid, prawns and some kind of cheese that tasted good but smelled real nasty. So this international stuff isn’t so bad, I need to start traveling with Davina more often and getting to taste all the flavors of the world.

As we got back into the air I pretended that I was one of the pilots up front. But I soon realized that I would need to be way more coordinated that I am and I don’t think I’m tall enough to reach the peddles and all the controls. But I bet I could be one of those crew chiefs. They are always looking out the windows for the pilots to make sure they don’t land on anything and that people stay in their seats. They wear Darth Vader helmets and get to talk on the headset with the pilots. Yup, that would be a great job for me.

We just flew and flew. The clouds seemed so close I could have reached out and touched them. For a few seconds I had that feeling like the first drop of a roller coaster. That weightless feeling like you're falling, even though the helicopter hadn't dropped at all. I spent most of the flight back to Camp Bondsteel trying to be a contortionist, twisting myself into a position where I was not getting any glare, or reflections in the window. I just wanted to see everything and enjoy the beauty of what was below me. The mountain ridges were spectacular and as we were crossing through a place in the sky it became very cloudy and then it was as if there were little holes drilled into the clouds and the sunlight escaped and shone its rays onto the ground below. Very cool to see from the air.

We finished an entire day of flying through all kinds of weather and many landings and take-offs and not one problem or mechanical issue. Did I happen to mention that we have some really high speed helicopter maintenance detachment from Virginia? Not only are they from the commonwealth but true to the diversity of KFOR 12, other members from South Carolina and Kentucky help to make up the rest of the group. Not only are these guys and gals the best mechanics around, but this is the detachments first deployment and with as much flying as our helicopters do on a daily basis it is a testament to their quality of work by the perfect safety record.


Our day ended on a small little rise on Camp Bondsteel and as soon as we all offloaded the chopper it just picked up and did a hard bank to the left as it gained altitude. It was the most beautiful picture. The sun setting on our spectacular mountain and the helicopter looking as if it was flying into the sunset. It doesn’t get much better than this and I feel so lucky to have traveled with my army friends and the super cool aviation pilots from Kentucky. Thanks everyone! What an honor and privilege to be here in Kosovo standing next to my soldier friends, all wanting peace and stability in a far away land.

---