Eleven New York Army National Guard soldiers and two CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters which deployed from Rochester on September 28 to assist the Florida National Guard in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, returned from their mission on Friday, October 7.
The soldiers, assigned to Bravo Company of the 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, are based at Army Aviation Support Facility 3 at the Frederick Douglas Greater Rochester International Airport.
They were sent to Florida through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact request for assistance from the state of Florida to New York, and deployed at the direction of Governor Kathy Hochul.
During their mission the aircraft flew personnel and supplies to Sanibel and Pine Islands off the Florida coast, operating from Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers under the direction of the Florida National Guard. Between September 30 and October 5 they transported: 224 personnel, including search and rescue teams; 16 vehicles, including eight Gators, two ATVs, one Ford Explorer, two skid steers, and three humvees; two pallets of water; cell tower equipment; and 65,000 pounds of supplies.
The CH-47 F can carry 36 people, or over 46,000 pounds of cargo, and fly at 190 miles per hour.
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