A Montana Army National Guard crew has returned home after supporting wildfire suppression efforts in Washington state.
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“It feels good, feels really good to be home,” said Sgt. Zac Hodgskiss, who served as a flight engineer on the mission.
Working alongside Washington National Guard crews and firefighters from across the country, the CH-47 Chinook crew helped put out fires across northern Washington, focusing on the Sinlahekin fire, for just under two weeks of nonstop aviation operations.
In general, air crews supporting the fires logged more than 382 flight hours, dropped 1,762 buckets, and delivered more than 1.6 million gallons of water on six major fires.
The Montana crew alone flew more than 40 hours — making 89 water drops in difficult conditions.
“A lot of smoke, visibility was not the best at times we could say,” said Chief Warrant Officer John Coleman, one of the team’s pilots. “Up there, the terrain is steep just like we have here, and the winds. Nothing we couldn’t handle.”
Their Chinook provided critical heavy-lift support — carrying large water buckets, moving equipment, and transporting personnel through mountainous fire zones.
The crew says the mission put years of training into real-world action, especially helpful for first-timers.
“There's a more practical application there,” Hodgskiss continued, “that you are able to actually see everything come together, and realize why we train the way we do.”
While they’re glad to be back in Montana with their families, they say helping neighboring states is exactly why they serve.
“If my neighbors here don’t need help, but our neighbors to the west in Washington need help, 100% we are here and available and willing to go help them out,” Coleman stated.
“My wife is happy to have me home. It's the little things,” Hodgskiss said. “There's a balance there, and it's a sacrifice that my family and I have to make, but it's worth it.”
The Montana National Guard says they’ll continue coordinating with state and federal fire agencies as wildfire conditions continue to evolve and are ready on standby to answer the call.
