Montana National Guard training in the Red Lodge area

Red Lodge, Montana – This week, the Red Lodge region will be the site of training for the Montana National Guard.

Three H-60M Black Hawk helicopters and about 26 soldiers from Det 1, Co. C, 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion of the Montana Army National Guard will be conducting training from May 2 to May 6, according to Red Lodge Fire Rescue.

The unit will operate out of a location on the north side of the Red Lodge Airport for training, which includes hoist operations training.

“The training will provide aircrews experience in hoist operations in mountainous and wooded areas, so rescue operations can be conducted quickly and safely when they are required,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Balliew, H-60/H-72 Standardization Instructor at the Montana Army Aviation Support Facility in Helena.

“The Montana National Guard regularly trains in a variety of environments and with emergency response organizations to maintain our skills and ability to protect the lives of Montanans,” said Balliew.