TMV contributor Ron Beasley posted a beautiful photo of Rowena in the Columbia River Gorge taken long before the present wildfires that are scorching so much precious country in the West.
While I would not call the following photos “beautiful,” they do provide a vivid image of those fires and of the men and women fighting those western wildfires.
In this case, personnel and aircraft from the Department of Defense (U.S. Northern Command, National Guard, Air Force Reserve and other units) have been battling the fires since July 20.
An aerial view shows the Day Fire burning near Fall River Mills, Calif., Aug. 2, 2014. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
From a U.S. Northern Command News Release:
Two Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are helping to combat wildfires in the Northwest, Great Basin, and elsewhere at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
Since July 20, DoD aircraft have conducted 67 air drops and discharged more than 119,600 gallons of retardant.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew prepares to launch from Mather Army Aviation Support Facility in Sacramento, Calif., to assist wildfire fighting operations in Northern California, Aug. 1, 2014. The helicopter crew is assigned to the California National Guard’s Company C, 168th General Support Aviation Battalion. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
Within the past 24 hours, two airdrops delivered nearly 6,000 gallons of fire retardant at the Midnite Mica Fire in Idaho.
The supporting unit flying the MAFFS mission is the 153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard located in Cheyenne.
UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters arrive at the Fall River Mills Airport in Northern California’s Shasta County, Aug. 1, 2014, to assist wildfire fighting operations. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C-130 aircraft assigned to units in California, Colorado, North Carolina and Wyoming are capable of dropping fire retardant using U.S. Forest Service MAFFS units. Aircrews, maintenance crews and support personnel undergo special NIFC training and certification to perform these missions each year.
California Fire Manager Bob Innes observes a wildfire near Fall River Mills, Calif., from an LUH-72 Lakota helicopter flown by Army Chief Warrant Officers 2 Dan Lowry and Scott Englebrick. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
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An aerial view shows the Day Fire burning near Fall River Mills, Calif., Aug. 2, 2014. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
Lead photo: An aerial view shows acres of ground scorched by the Day Fire near Fall River Mills, Calif., Aug. 2, 2014. California National Guard photo by U.S. Army Master Sgt. Paul Wade
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.